U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry delivered a speech on Climate Change on June 15 at the New York City headquarters of the Council on Foreign Relations (CHEN WEN)

Addressing the climate change issue is urgent and every country must "put aside entrenched positions and establish a constructive framework for action," said U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry.

Kerry delivered a speech on June 15 at the New York City headquarters of the Council on Foreign Relations titled Climate Change and American Foreign Policy: Security Challenges, Diplomatic Opportunities.

The former U.S. presidential candidate stressed the importance of cooperating with China on this issue. Together the two countries now account for almost half of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

At the upcoming United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, Kerry said, it is important for both developed and developing countries to take significant action to reduce emissions.

"America understands that we have an obligation to lead, and we will," he said. "But China needs to understand that America will not enter into a global treaty without a meaningful commitment from China to be part of the solution."  

Kerry went to China in late May to seek opportunities for collaboration on global climate change between China and the United States in preparation for a successful Copenhagen meeting, which is scheduled for the end of this year.

Kerry said that he was enormously encouraged by the people he saw and talked to in China, including top Chinese political and military leaders, energy executives, scientists, students and environmentalists.

"Everyone I spoke to recognized these risks," said the senator hailing from the state of Massachusetts. "China grasps the urgency of the problem, is eager to embrace clean energy, and is ready to be a 'positive, constructive' player in negotiations going forward."

Kerry said it's time to give up the "outdated myth" that China is reluctant to act on climate change. "They do care, they are acting, and they're moving fast," he said.

Kerry pointed out the opportunities for cooperation between the two countries. He suggested that they "collaborate on multiple demonstration projects of near-to-market clean energy technology, from solar thermal to carbon capture and storage. We should combine forces in driving toward next-generation battery and electric vehicle technology."

If China and the United States succeed in combating climate change together, Kerry said, they would establish "a pattern of cooperation" that will help in every issue the two countries face.

(Chen Wen, Beijing Review, reporting from New York)