The United States has pledged to deepen its cooperation with China on environmental protection.
The promise comes as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker has delivered a speech at the Microsoft Asia-Pacific Research & Development Group in Beijing.
During her speech, Pritzker explains the central message of her visit to China and the U.S. side's approach to environmental protection.
"The central message of our visit is with responsible partnership we will do more business together and in doing so, we will protect and improve our environment. Our attitude is simple and straightforward, we want more engagement and want to do more business together, we want the relationship with China to be founded on mutual interest and mutual respect."
She also says that the United States welcomes the continuing rise of a China that is peaceful, prosperous and stable, and that plays a responsible role in the world.
According to the China-US Joint Announcement on Climate Change released last November, the United States agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions up to 28% below 2005 levels in the next 10 years and China agreed to peak carbon emissions and increase the non-fossil fuel share of China's energy supply by 2030.
Pritzker says that fulfilling these commitments will prove critical to the future of the earth and set an example for other nations.
Pritzker, together with Deputy Secretary of Energy, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, is now visiting China, leading a U.S. trade mission focusing on the development of smart low-carbon cities and smart low-carbon growth technologies.
Randall, for her part, emphasizes the importance of developing low-carbon technologies.
"Low cost, low carbon technology has potential to change the world wide picture on climate. Driving down the costs of green technologies enables ambitious policies and ultimately makes clean energy goals much easier to achieve. Lowering the cost of these technologies also enables less developed economies to join in the shift toward a low carbon future, greatly amplifying the impact we can have."
She adds that since China and U.S. are the worlds' two largest economies and also two largest carbon producers, they have the power to shape the future of the earth.
