John Kerry
John KerryFlash 90

White House climate change envoy John Kerry said on Wednesday that the United State will collaborate with China to “raise climate ambition” and reduce carbon emissions over the next 10 years, but the agreement had few specifics about any actions China will take.

Kerry said that the joint declaration is a big step toward both countries working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Washington Examiner reported.

"The U.S. and China have no shortage of differences, but on climate, cooperation is the only way to get things done," Kerry said, speaking at a press conference.

The agreement would see the two nations cooperating on creating a regulatory framework for emissions reduction. It was touted by Kerry as "maximizing the societal benefits of the clean energy transition” and boosting the reduction of carbon and the electrification of their economies.

It also placed emphasis on reducing methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030, a goal that the White House and other governments have pledged to accomplish.

Kerry said that China had agreed to abide by a “comprehensive national action plan” on methane emissions and to also commit to drastically reducing its use of coal as part of its 15th five year plan, which will take place from 2026 to 2030.

The agreement also committed both countries to working on emissions-reducing technologies.

Kerry was asked by reporters if the agreement could have had more aspirational targets.

He responded by saying: “What we wanted to make sure was that when China begins that process that it has accepted under its announced plan that we could try to accelerate it, and China accepted that they will make best efforts to accelerate the work of phasing down.”