Mayors and other urban leaders from China and the United States signed cooperation agreements at a high-level climate summit on June 7, marking a further step at the municipal level to enhance bilateral efforts to tackle climate change.

The cooperation agreements were signed by the Compact of Mayors, a coalition of cities around the world committed to reducing local greenhouse gas emissions, and China’s Peaking Emissions Cities League at the second China-US Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities Summit.

The two-day climate summit drew mayors and other urban leaders from more than 60 cities in the United States and China.

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, State Councilor Yang Jiechi said the agreements show that the two countries are working together on tackling climate change and are setting an example for other countries. Yang made the remark after the eighth China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue closed on June 7. Cooperation and communication on climate change are part of the “important achievements” made by the two countries, he said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that “it’s of great urgency” to take actions to make cities more resilient to climate change and to accelerate the transition to low carbon cities.

“A lot more people than before are living in urban areas, where they are exposed to impacts brought on by climate change,” said Kerry.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said that close cooperation at the municipal level can facilitate the implementation of the ambitious goals set by the Paris Agreement on climate change in December.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi (fourth from right) and US Secretary of State John Kerry (center) attend the second China-US Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities Summit with other representatives in Beijing on June 7. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]