China's top diplomat meets U.S. climate envoy in Beijing

BEIJING, Sep. 6 -- China's top diplomat Wang Yi met with U.S. Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta here on Friday.

Wang, Chinese foreign minister and also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, noted that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the United States.

The 45 years of experience have revealed that China and the United States should be partners instead of being rivals, said Wang, adding that the two sides should enable each other's success instead of competing viciously.

China stands ready to work with the United States to follow the important common understandings reached by the two presidents in San Francisco, find a right way to get along with each other as two major countries, and strive for the sound, stable and sustainable development of bilateral relations, Wang said.

Noting that China is firmly committed to green, low-carbon and sustainable development, Wang pointed out that dialogue and cooperation on climate change is not only an integral part of bilateral relations, but also an important measure to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state.

He noted that the teams of both sides on climate response have maintained close communication and reached a series of practical cooperation outcomes this year. It is hoped that the U.S. side will maintain policy stability, earnestly respect China's concerns, avoid protectionism and overstretching the concept of security, and jointly address this global challenge with China.

Podesta stated that cooperation on addressing the climate change is an important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and it is a key component of the U.S.-China relationship and concerns the global multilateral cooperation process.

The collaboration between the United States and China will not only benefit the people of both countries but also bring more welfare to the world, he said.

The U.S. side is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China and engage in constructive cooperation, Podesta said.