China and the US say they are committed to working together and with other countries on tackling climate change.

It comes after several meetings between Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and his US counterpart John Kerry in Shanghai last week. They both agreed on further specific actions to reduce emissions, a joint statement on Sunday confirmed.

US President Joe Biden is holding a virtual climate summit this week, which China says it is looking forward to. However it is not yet known if Chinese President Xi Jinping will join the world leaders who have pledged to attend.

It added that both nations will continue to discuss "concrete actions in the 2020s to reduce emissions aimed at keeping the Paris Agreement-aligned temperature limit within reach".vBoth nations also agreed to help developing countries finance a switch to low-carbon energy.

The joint statement - issued symbolically at a round table - will relieve anyone concerned about the planet. It simply won't be possible to stabilise climate change unless the superpower super-polluters pull much harder. A recent report said China, for instance, must close down 588 coal-fired power plants to meet its climate pledges.

Guest post from BBC News