On the morning of July 18, 2023, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council met with U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry at the Great Hall of the People.

Li Qiang said that China and the United States are both important countries in the world, and enhanced cooperation between the two countries will benefit not only each other but also the whole world. President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden had a successful meeting in Bali, Indonesia last year, and reached a series of important common understandings, showing a clear direction for the development of China-U.S. relations. The two sides should take concrete actions to implement the common understandings between the two heads of state, properly manage differences, and bring China-U.S. relations back to the track of sound and steady development at an early date.

Li Qiang pointed out that the world is facing an arduous task of climate response, and it is essential that China, the U.S. and all other countries strengthen coordination, build consensus and take prompt actions to foster the greatest possible synergy for climate response. Premier Li stressed the need to practice multilateralism and uphold the goals and principles set out in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement. All parties should shoulder their due responsibilities and abide by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in addressing climate change. Developed countries should take the lead in reducing emissions and fulfill their financial commitments as soon as possible while developing countries should make contributions within their capacity. Scientific and technological achievements should be shared to promote global green and low-carbon transition, and developed countries should give more technical support to developing countries. Li Qiang expressed the hope that China and the United States will continue to uphold the spirit of cooperation, respect each other's core concerns, seek common ground while shelving differences through full communication, and explore more pragmatic institutionalized cooperation to advance the process of multilateral climate governance and ensure full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement.

John Kerry said that the United States and China are the world's two largest economies and the top two carbon emitters. The United States hopes that the U.S.-China relationship will remain stable, and stands ready to strengthen cooperation with China to jointly tackle climate change and other pressing global challenges, and strive for the success of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.