Brussels says US departure from Paris agreement won't affect other climate work

Brussels renewed its commitment to work with Beijing on Monday to implement the Paris Climate Change Agreement following Washington's notification to the UN on Friday that it would withdraw from the 2015 agreement.

A spokesman for the European Commission said that the EU and China are strongly committed to the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Clean Energy Transition.

"Energy policy and energy cooperation are key to the successful implementation of the Paris Agreement. The EU and China, being major energy consumers and importers, have a strong role to play in this respect," he said.

The commission said that energy cooperation between China and Europe will be fostered by both parties.

Both sides have achieved consensus during their leaders' summit in Brussels, shortly after American President Donald Trump announced his country's intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which has already been ratified by 150 UN members to mitigate the effect of greenhouse gas emissions.

On Monday, the European Commission said that the EU, China and Canada will host a major ministerial gathering in September to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement and accelerate clean energy transition.

Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his plans to host a climate summit in Paris in December to mark the second anniversary of the signing of Paris Climate Change Agreement.

At the G20 summit in Hamburg, the rest of the 19 countries reconfirmed their support for the agreement.

China has agreed to reach its greenhouse gas emission peak by around 2030 by improving energy consumption efficiency and increasing the amount of renewable energy it uses. China has also committed to South-South climate cooperation by helping developing and vulnerable countries bolster their capacities in fighting climate woes.

At the summit, the G20, with the exception of the US, said the Paris Agreement will not be re-negotiated and they committed to "fill the void" left by the United States' withdrawal.

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of European Commission said the EU will not renegotiate the Paris Agreement but will step up its climate diplomacy and collaboration with other partners.

He said that climate action was a key topic during his meeting with Premier Li Keqiang at the EU-China Summit on 2 June and he also said that the September meeting of EU, China and Canada will be another major step to implement Paris and accelerate the clean energy transition.

In 2015 in Paris, Juncker said the world committed to help vulnerable countries adapt to the consequences of climate change and the decision of the US to go back on its pledge to the Green Climate Fund leaves a major void.

"From our side we stand firm to our commitments. And we will work with third countries to mobilize the right public and private investments," said Juncker.

Xiang Cheng contributed the story