Liu Zhenmin appointed as China's new special envoy for climate change
The inaugural meeting of the China-US Climate Action Working Group was held on Friday, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. To implement the consensus reached at the China-US summit in San Francisco to collaborate on addressing climate change, the "21st Century Climate Action Workgroup" between China and the US was successfully organized via a video conference on Friday. The meeting was co-chaired by China's Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua and the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. Vice-Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission Zhao Chenxin, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment Zhao Yingmin, Deputy Director of the National Energy Administration Ren Jingdong, Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Energy David Turk, and Assistant Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency Radhika Fox, attended the meeting as heads of the working group's subcommittees and delivered speeches. Both sides praised the successful launch of the workgroup and engaged in in-depth and friendly discussions on key areas of cooperation, including energy transition, methane, circular economy, low-carbon provinces/states, and cities. The two sides agreed to maintain close communication, exchange experiences, and deepen practical cooperation within the framework of the workgroup mechanism, in accordance with the consensus outlined in the Sunnylands Statement on Enhancing Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis. Due to health reasons, Xie Zhenhua has stepped down from his position as China's special envoy for climate change. Liu Zhenmin, former vice-minister of foreign affairs, has been appointed as Xie's successor. This means that Liu will be responsible for handling climate change-related affairs, representing China in international cooperation and negotiations. He is expected to continue to promoting cooperation between China and the US in the field of climate change and maintain close contact with his US counterpart John Kerry and other US representatives, working together to advance actions on climate change.