EU, China to reaffirm support for climate pact

BRUSSELS (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and top officials from the European Union officials are on Friday set to reaffirm their commitment to a landmark climate change agreement, a day after President Donald Trump said he was pulling the United States out of the Paris accord.

Climate issues are expected to dominate discussions between Keqiang, who is leading a large delegation of ministers to Brussels, and EU Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Speaking to European business leaders alongside Li, Juncker said EU-China ties are underpinned by "a rules-based international system."

He said that Brussels and Beijing believe in "the full implementation, without nuances, of the Paris climate agreement," and underlined that there can be "no backsliding" on the pact.

At their short summit, the EU and China — two of the world's major polluters — are set to issue a statement reaffirming their stance on global warming following Trump's announcement Thursday.

According to a draft, they will express their determination "to forge ahead with further policies and measures for effective implementation of their respective nationally determined contributions."

They will also "call on all parties to uphold the Paris agreement" and "to strengthen efforts over time, in accordance with the purpose and provisions of the agreement."

Separately on Thursday, European heavyweights France, Germany and Italy said in a joint statement that they regretted the United States' decision to withdraw from the accord, but affirmed "our strongest commitment" to implement its measures and encouraged "all our partners to speed up their action to combat climate change."

While Trump said the United States would be willing to rejoin the accord if it could obtain more favorable terms, the three European leaders said the agreement cannot be renegotiated, "since it is a vital instrument for our planet, societies and economics."