By Nzherald,
WASHINGTON (AP) ” The Latest on Donald Trump and climate change (all times local):
5:13 a.m.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says fighting climate change is a “global consensus” and an “international responsibility.”
Speaking in Berlin about the Paris climate change accord, he said that “China in recent years has stayed true to its commitment.”
Without mentioning the U.S. specifically, he said China has been “actively promoting the Paris agreement and we were one of the first countries to ratify the Paris agreement.”
He added in a speech Wednesday: “Fighting climate change is a global consensus, it’s not invented by China… and we realize that this is a global consensus agreement and that as a big developing nation we should shoulder our international responsibility.”
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4:45 a.m.
China says it will work with the European Union to uphold the international agreement on climate change even if the U.S. pulls out.
President Donald Trump is expected to announce his decision on whether to abandon the Paris climate accord Thursday.
While not mentioning the U.S. by name, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying tells reporters climate change is a “global challenge” that no country can ignore.
At a regularly scheduled news conference Thursday, Hua said: “No matter whether other countries’ positions may change, we will continue to uphold” a model of sustainable development. China is the top emitter of man-made carbon dioxide emissions, and the United States is second.
3:40 a.m.
President Donald Trump will announce his decision on whether to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord during a Rose Garden event Thursday afternoon.
Trump promoted his announcement Wednesday night on Twitter, after a day in which U.S. allies around the world sounded alarms about the likely consequences of a U.S. withdrawal. Trump himself kept everyone in suspense, saying he was still listening to “a lot of people both ways.”
The White House signaled that Trump was likely to decide on exiting the global pact ” fulfilling one of his principal campaign pledges ” though top aides were divided. And the final decision may not be entirely clear-cut: Aides were still deliberating on “caveats in the language,” one official said.
Everyone cautioned that no decision was final until Trump announced it. The president has been known to change his thinking on major decisions and tends to seek counsel from both inside and outside advisers, many with differing agendas, until the last minute.
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