Beijing Hosts China-US Track II Dialogue on Climate and Energy

BEIJING (May 17, 2011) – Global Environmental Institute (GEI) and US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) co-hosted the China-US Track II Dialogue in Beijing. Experts from China and the US exchanged views on recent developments in the two countries’ climate efforts, negotiation positions in the international climate meetings, and, in particular, bilateral cooperation and trade in the areas of energy and climate change.

The China-US Track II Climate Dialogue was launched in 2008 by GEI and CEIP with the aim of constructing an informal platform for dialogue between technical and policy experts on climate change in both countries in order to increase mutual trust and cooperation on climate change.

During this round of dialogues, Chinese and U.S. experts discussed each country’s recent domestic actions toward emission reduction and clarified their current international negotiating positions. The two sides discussed expectations for this year’s climate negotiations in Durban and expressed hope for practical collaboration between China and the US on climate change; particularly in the areas of construction, nuclear safety as well as research, development and deployment of clean technology.

The two sides exchanged views on pressing issues such as Monitoring, Reporting and Verifying (MRV) of emissions reductions and the second round of Kyoto commitments, and also offered suggestions on alleviating conflicts arising in the World Trade Organization (WTO) due to government subsidies of clean energy.