Rocky start to Obama’s China trip, beginning with the stairs

Panagariya said besides the climate change, the draft joint statement also refers to refugees, terrorism and anti- microbial resistance. During his eight-year presidency, the two countries have grappled with hacking incidents and differences over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

But the welcome ceremony didn’t go entirely smoothly.

Before the USA and China announced the decision, 23 nations had ratified the agreement, accounting for just over 1 percent of emissions. “No one gave you the right to touch or push anyone around”, he yelled in Chinese at one of the security officials.

But if the Paris agreement is going to come into effect, a lot more countries need to ratify it – like 55 in total.

Officials in both countries voiced an eagerness to begin negotiations on climate matters as soon as possible, due to concerns over what might happen when the next USA president enters the White House in January, according to Li Shuo, a climate advisor for Greenpeace. The results have been mixed. Obama used an alternative exit.

But US leadership will inevitably have other impacts on China’s carbon emissions.

In fact, emissions must continue to reduce in the upcoming years in order to prevent the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. China agreed to stop its total emissions from rising by 2030, while the United States pledged to reduce its emissions 26 percent (using 2005 levels as a baseline) over the next 15 years.

During the negotiations over the Paris deal Beijing stressed the concept of “differentiated responsibilities” – the idea that developed countries should shoulder the lion’s share of the burden as they have polluted most since the Industrial Revolution. In the USA, no Senate ratification is required because the agreement is not considered a formal treaty.

Republican leaders have complained that the agreement works around Congress, where GOP majorities would not have approved the deal or the legislation needed to meet its targets.

In an energy speech in May, Trump pledged to “cancel” the Paris agreement.

According to Li Shuo, a climate adviser with Greenpeace, both China and the United States are determined to put the treaty into force as soon as possible in order to avoid the risk that any new Republican administration would reject it.

“Calm down please. Calm down”, one White House official said to the arguing officials.

The handover of the legal document signifies a new and solemn commitment of the Chinese government, Xi said, adding that by depositing the documents together, China and the United States have displayed their ambition and determination to jointly tackle the global challenge. The matter is expected to be on the agenda for Obama’s meeting with Xi, along with ongoing efforts to phase out hydrofluorocarbons, another greenhouse gas.

Throughout his tenure, Obama has sought to check China’s influence in Asia by shifting USA military resources and diplomatic attention from the Middle East.

His next stop will be Laos, the first visit by a sitting president. President Obama hopes to highlight his administration’.