China hopes the United States will one day return to the climate agreement

(Patria) - China believes that the United States will eventually return to climate negotiations, the head of Beijing's delegation told AFP on Wednesday at the COP30 climate summit, adding that the world must show that the green transition "cannot be reversed".

Cooperation between China and the United States, the world's two largest economies and biggest polluters, was key in the past to resolving impasses in the annual United Nations climate talks.

But President Donald Trump, who withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, and his administration have shunned this year's conference in Belem, a city in the Brazilian Amazon.

"Addressing climate change is necessary for every country. We hope that one day, and we also believe that one day in the future, the US will return," Li Gao, who is also the deputy minister of environmental protection, told AFP.
While Trump promotes fossil fuels and rolls back his predecessor Joe Biden's green technology policies, China is installing more renewable energy and putting more electric vehicles on its roads than any other country.

Li said China's priority at COP30 is to support the Brazilian presidency "together with others to send a very strong political signal that the green transition to low-carbon energy cannot be reversed" and that "international cooperation cannot be diminished".

"It is very important for the parties here to show political solidarity and commit to working together to address climate change and ensure that this COP is an implementation COP," he added.

Li called on countries to "avoid negative impacts, for example, of geopolitical unilateralism or protectionism".

The main issue being discussed at the Conference of the Parties in Belem is how to secure money to help developing countries transition to green energy and adapt to climate change.

Last year's COP29 gathering in Baku ended with developed countries agreeing to provide $300 billion annually by 2035 for climate finance to poorer countries, a figure criticized as far below what is needed to tackle the challenge.

They also set a much less specific goal of helping to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually from public and private sources.

A report released by the COP29 and COP30 Brazilian presidency leaders states that the world has all the tools to achieve the goal.

"We welcome the report on $1.3 trillion, but we believe it is crucial for developed countries to fulfill the $300 billion commitment, as it is their responsibility," Li said.