On September 4-6, 2024, China hosted a meeting in Beijing of the U.S.-China Working Group on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s. The group is co-led by U.S. Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta and China's Special Envoy for Climate Change Liu Zhenmin, along with their respective colleagues. Discussions focused on addressing the climate crisis, including implementing respective 2030 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and preparing for 2035 NDCs.

Both sides welcomed the technical and policy exchanges conducted so far under the working group. These discussions have covered areas such as energy transition, methane management, circular economy and resource efficiency, and low-carbon sustainable provinces/states & cities. They expressed eagerness for further exchanges.

Senior Advisor John Podesta and Special Envoy Liu Zhenmin also participated in the U.S.-China Circular Economy Cooperation Forum and U.S.-China Subnational Climate Action Roundtable on September 6. They appreciated the participation of both the U.S. Ambassador to China and China's Ambassador to the U.S.

The two sides reaffirmed their intention to jointly host a Methane and Other Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases Summit at COP 29 with Azerbaijan's COP 29 Presidency. They discussed encouraging other nations to participate in this summit by presenting policies, actions, and cooperation initiatives.

Recalling their commitment to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030, both parties expressed their intention to continue discussions and collaborative efforts on enforcing laws against illegal imports while promoting global forest conservation and sustainable management.

Both sides are committed to strengthening dialogue, collaborative efforts, and working with other parties to support Azerbaijan's presidency for a successful outcome of COP 29. This includes focusing on new collective quantified goals under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.