The U.S.-led climate change summit is being held this Thursday and Friday by President Joe Biden and news of China’s President Xi Jinping attending has arisen after the uncertainty of his presence.

Jinping will be attending virtually and is expected to give an “important speech,” according to a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Forty other world leaders were invited and will be attending the summit as well.

Plans on how to reduce carbon emissions around the world are expected to be announced, as well as obtaining more pledges from countries that are willing to financially help less fortunate ones to switch to low-carbon energy.

This news comes after John Kerry, the U.S.’s special envoy for climate, met with Xie Zhenhua, his Chinese counterpart, in Shanghai last week to come up with a plan to “enhance climate actions that raise ambition in the 2020s,” ABC News reported.

"The United States and China are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands," read the joint statement between the world’s biggest polluters.

Biden also rejoined the Paris Agreement on the first day of his presidency, indicating that with this event, he is serious about his commitment to climate change and the international treaty to bring global temperatures down to below two degrees celsius.

China's President Xi Jinping, seen in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in March 2021, has tense relations with the United States but the two nations are looking to prioritize climate
China's President Xi Jinping, seen in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in March 2021, has tense relations with the United States but the two nations are looking to prioritize climate AFP / NICOLAS ASFOURI
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