US, China to review clean air and climate cooperation

US Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy will arrive in China beginning on Monday to discuss US-China cooperation on air quality, climate pollution and environmental issues. She will travel to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong during her four-day visit.

McCarthy will discuss with her Chinese counterparts the steps China has taken to address air pollution, additional steps to come, and how the United States and China can continue to work together.

While in China, she will be co-chairing the US-China Joint Committee on Environmental Cooperation. She will also deliver a keynote speech at Tsinghua University and meet with senior officials, business leaders and NGOs.

''US and China represent the world's largest economies, consumers of energy, and emitters of carbon pollution. Climate change is a shared challenge, and building on more than 30 years of successful cooperation and partnership, the United States and China must work together to build a clean energy economy for a healthier, safer planet,'' the US EPA said in a release.

Earlier this year, President Obama announced a Climate Action Plan that outlined steps to cut carbon pollution from power plants, the biggest individual source of carbon pollution in the United States. In September, the EPA proposed standards for new power plants that are flexible enough to help drive economic growth, and at the same time spark the clean energy innovation needed for a low-carbon economy.

''China is taking action to address climate change while reducing traditional air pollution and promoting economic growth, and the US stands ready to help,'' it added.