EU, China to reaffirm support for climate pact
The European Union and China will reaffirm their commitment to the Paris climate change accord this week regardless of whether the US pulls out of the pact, a senior EU official said Wednesday.
The official told reporters that the EU and China will also "spell out" how they plan to meet their commitments to the landmark international accord to fight global warming at talks in Brussels on Friday.
The official is involved in preparing the meeting between EU Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, but can't speak on the record because their meeting statement wasn't finalized. Li and a major Chinese delegation are due to arrive in Brussels late Thursday following talks in Berlin.
"The EU and China are joining forces to forge ahead on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and accelerate the global transition to clean energy," EU climate commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said about the upcoming EU-China summit, stressing they remain committed to Paris.
President Donald Trump is expected to pull the US from the pact, a White House official said Wednesday, though there could be "caveats in the language" announcing a withdrawal, leaving open the possibility that his decision isn't final.
