The Joint China-US Statement on Climate Change issued on November 12 has drawn worldwide attention and applause. Only by taking the historical process of China-US cooperation on climate change into consideration can we obtain an accurate, comprehensive understanding of the statement.

China-US cooperation on climate change started in the 1980s. Many bilateral agreements concerning cooperation on climate change to date have been issued, including the Ten-Year Framework (TYF) for Cooperation on Energy and Environment (June 2008), China-US Joint Statement (November 2009), China-US Joint Statement (January 2011) and Joint China-US Statement on Climate Change (April 2013). Unlike the aforementioned agreements, the 2014 Joint China-US Statement on Climate Change has its own significance reflected in the following four highlights.
 

First, the presidents of China and the US declared for the first time their respective post-2020 actions on climate change. According to the statement, the US has set a target of reducing its emissions by 26 to 28 percent below its 2005 level in 2025, while China has pledged to achieve peak carbon emissions by around 2030 and increase its share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20 percent by 2030.

The statement has ensured both sides’ post-2020 targets and plans for reducing emissions, which has not only made both sides’ national strategies of implementing low-carbon development accord with each other, but has also pushed forward global greenhouse gas reductions. Meanwhile, the pact has set a powerful example for other countries and laid a solid platform for international climate negotiations to be held in Paris in 2015.
 

Second, China and the US now view climate change for the first time as the “biggest threat to mankind,” promoting the importance and urgency of climate change to the highest level. Compared with previous expressions about climate change, such as “one of the biggest challenges” and “one big challenge,” the expression in this statement indicates that the two sides have agreed that they will place the issue of combating climate change as a global priority .
 

Third, China and the US have connected climate change with national and international security for the first time, understanding the nature of climate change more concretely and comprehensively.
Since the 1990s, along with the evolution of international climate negotiations, there have been differing conclusions about the nature of climate change, evolving from environmental and technical problems at the beginning to current major issues on global development and international politics and security. China and the US have reached consensus on connectivity of climate and security and deepened understanding of climate change, which will undoubtedly further promote cooperation in climate change between both sides.
 

Fourth, China and the US have reached political consensus on the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” for the first time.
 

For a long time, the main obstacle in the two sides’ cooperation on tackling climate change was the severe divergence in the principle in the international climate negotiations. The US placed greater emphasis on common responsibilities between developed and developing countries, while China stressed differentiation of responsibilities. China-US cooperation on climate change therefore to some extent was only concentrated in bilateral fields with limited cooperation in the past international climate negotiations. The new statement appears more balanced and comprehensive, giving consideration to concrete appeals of both sides.
 

In addition, studies on the correlation between energy and water and cooperative topics, such as initiating climate-intelligent or low-carbon cities, have been included in the statement, further expanding the fields and coverage of China-US cooperation on climate change.
 

Overall, the joint statement clearly signals that great changes have taken place in cooperative thinking and policy for China-US cooperation on climate change. It will push forward the process of both sides’ transformation to “green” economies and low-carbon development, consolidating action on climate change as a new highlight in the new type of China-US major relationship.
 

It should be noted that implementation of the statement is more important. Only by keeping their promises, conducting pragmatic cooperation, and overcoming respective difficulties and challenges can China and the US give full play to the statement.

 

Zhang Haibin is a professor at the Research Center of International Organizations at Peking University.

 

Translated by Yu Hui
Revised by Tom Fearon