Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli is representing China at the signing ceremony for the Paris Agreement at the United Nations in New York on Friday. China will be joining the United States, India and over 100 other nations in signing the agreement on the first day it is open for signing.

President Obama and President Xi Jinping of China said Thursday that they would sign the Paris Agreement on climate change on April 22, the first day the United Nations accord will be open for government signatures.

China's carbon emissions, by far the world's highest, may have peaked in 2014, according to a study published on Monday, potentially putting Beijing under pressure to toughen its climate pledges.

The negotiations were tiresome, the jostling was tough and complicated. To save the common homeland of mankind, to guarantee the sustainable development of all countries, the conclusion of the Paris Agreement gives hope and expectation that we can overcome all sorts of difficulties, and we have the wisdom and courage to do so.

The landmark climate deal negotiated last week in Paris is important first step. However, increased coordination and cooperation between developed and developing countries to enable these much-needed reforms is critical. This includes collective learning, building tools to help strengthen institutional capacity and develop green growth policy, expanding peer learning and knowledge sharing, and engaging private investors and public donors.

With the sudden bang of a gavel Saturday night, representatives of 195 countries reached a landmark climate accord that will, for the first time, commit nearly every country to lowering planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions to help stave off the most drastic effects of climate change.

China's President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday that their countries should step up efforts to reach a climate change deal, state media said, as leaders try to bridge gaps between rich and developing countries at talks in Paris.

As long as booming economic growth is seen as the key to enduring legitimacy and political success, it may be politically impossible to avoid catastrophic global warming. There are no “American” or “Chinese” emissions. There are simply carbon emissions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is attending the opening session of a major United Nations climate change conference here, met with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Monday, discussing issues from bilateral ties to climate change talks.

Historically, international development cooperation without financing arrangements often had no future. Although the Paris Conference opens now, there has been no systemic progress on climate financing. If developed countries fail to make clear arrangements on how to finance the $100 billion target, developing countries may well refuse to sign on the final agreement. It is therefore essential for the parties to reach a realistic and politically acceptable financing scheme.