Joint Statement of the United States and China Following the Fifth Meeting of the China-U.S. Working Group on Climate Change

Following is the text of a joint statement released by the U.S. and China following the fifth meeting of the China-U.S. Working Group on Climate Change in Xi’an on March 19, 2004. Dr. Harlan Watson, U.S. Department of State Senior Climate Negotiator and Special Representative, led the U.S. delegation and Mr. Gao Feng, Acting Director General of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led the Chinese delegation.

[Begin Text]

The fifth meeting of the China-U.S. Working Group on Climate Change was held in Xi’an of Shaanxi Province, China on March 19, 2004. The meeting was conducted in accordance with an agreement between former President Jiang Zemin and President George W. Bush to undertake consultations and cooperation on climate change.

The Chinese Delegation was headed by Mr. Gao Feng, Acting Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and composed of officials and experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Science and Technology, State Environmental Protection Administration, China Meteorological Administration and College of Environmental Sciences of Peking University. The U.S. Delegation was headed by Dr. Harlan Watson, Senior Climate Negotiator and Special Representative of the Department of State, and composed of officials and experts from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Energy and its Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The two sides exchanged views on their respective activities relating to climate change since the Ninth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP9 to UNFCCC). They recognized the importance of sustainable development and innovative technologies in addressing the issue of climate change, and heard presentations on the implementation of joint activities related to climate change carried out in China. They noted with satisfaction the progress made in key areas of joint climate change-related cooperation. The two delegations also noted their close cooperation in advancing international science and technology partnerships, in particular, the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, the International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy, and the ad hoc Group on Earth Observations. They affirmed the importance of these efforts in seeking solutions to climate change that will provide for the future prosperity and well-being of their citizens.

The meeting was conducted in an atmosphere of friendship and cooperation. The two sides decided to continue climate change policy exchanges and advancing their cooperative activities on climate change. The next meeting of the China-U.S. Working Group on Climate Change will take place in the United States.