China, US sign agreements to cope with climate change

BEIJING: Chinese and US firms and research institutes on Tuesday signed agreements on eight joint projects for coping with climate change ahead of a strategic dialogue between the two countries.

The projects address carbon capture, usage and storage, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) reduction, and the move toward low-carbon cities and a low-carbon model for the cement industry.

The deals marked some of the achievements by the China-US climate change working group, launched during US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to China in April 2013 and aimed at enhancing cooperation on climate change, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The working group will report to senior Chinese and US leaders attending the sixth China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue beginning tomorrow in Beijing.

The US and China, two of the world's biggest emitters of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming, have agreed to closely work together on concrete steps against climate change.