Announcement comes day after United States said it would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement
The European Union and China recommitted Friday to the 2015 Paris climate deal, one day after the United States announced it would withdraw from it.
In a joint statement, the EU and China said climate change and clean energy « will become a main pillar » of their bilateral partnership.
European Council President Donald Tusk said the fight against climate change would continue, with or without the United States:
« Today, China and Europe have demonstrated solidarity with future generations and responsibilities for the whole planet, » he said. « We are convinced that yesterday’s decision is a big mistake. »
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, in Brussels for an EU-China business summit, said it was important for China and EU relationships to become more stable.
« We believe that there have been changes in the international situation, and there will be rising uncertainty and destabilizing factors, » he said. « This requires our efforts to resolve existing issues. »
Other issues
Besides climate change, other issues discussed at the summit included trade, investment, the migration crisis, North Korea and the security partnership in Africa.
Li had expressed China’s continued support for the global climate deal on Thursday during his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying, « China will stand by its responsibilities on climate change. »
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said China agreed with the EU on the « unhappiness » about America’s unilateral decision to abandon the climate agreement.
The 2015 agreement, signed by 195 countries, calls for reducing the impact of climate change by keeping the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The EU and China committed to actions related to climate change, such as developing ways to change into zero-emissions economies, promoting zero-carbon transitions in developing countries and developing long-term decarbonization plans.
