Policy paper

UK–China memorandum of understanding on climate change cooperation, 2025

Published 13 April 2026

Memorandum of Understanding between the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China on Climate Change Cooperation

---

This Memorandum of Understanding embodies the intention of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Participants’) to further strengthen bilateral dialogue and exchanges as well as pragmatic cooperation on climate change to help avert the climate crisis.

The Participants recall the long-standing history of engagement on climate change issues between the United Kingdom and China, including the ‘Memorandum of Understanding Between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China on establishing a UK-China Climate Change Working Group (WGCC)’, signed in London in September 2006, the ‘UK-China Low Carbon Co-operation Memorandum of Understanding’ signed in January 2011, and the ‘Memorandum of Understanding on UK-China Climate Change Co-operation’ signed in October 2011, which extended the WGCC for 5 more years. The Participants also recall the first ‘Joint Declaration on Climate Change’ signed in 2008 and the UK-China Joint Climate Change Statement in 2014.

The Participants also recall the ‘Memorandum of Understanding between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the UK and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China’ in 2024 to establish a UK-China Environment Ministerial Dialogue, and a UK-China Working Group on Environmental Cooperation. The Participants also recall the ‘Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in green agricultural development between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the UK and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China’, which references potential opportunities for information sharing and collaboration in areas including agricultural response to climate change.

The Participants further recall the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue 2025, in which the 2 countries reconfirmed their willingness to continue collaborating to address the climate crisis, and agreed to discuss approaches to strengthening UK-China climate policy dialogue, and technical exchanges, including through a bilateral arrangement on climate cooperation, including mitigation, adaptation and finance. The Participants also recall the ‘UK-China Energy Dialogue of 2025’ and the ‘Clean Energy Partnership’ agreed during the dialogue. The Participants look forward to regular dialogue on science and technology to cooperate on global challenges such as climate change including through the UK-China Joint Commission meeting.

The Participants recognise that both the UK and China face common challenges in relation to climate change and share a common desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation, both domestically and internationally, to combat climate change, achieve their respective nationally determined contributions and net zero/carbon neutrality commitments, improve resilience to the impacts of a changing climate, realise green, low-carbon and climate-resilient transition, and promote sustainable development.

The Participants are committed to the full and effective implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, on the basis of the best available science and reflecting equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances.

The Participants are further committed to the implementation of decisions taken at previous meetings of the UNFCCC (COPs), the Kyoto Protocol (CMPs) and the Paris Agreement (CMAs), to strengthen efforts and international cooperation to combat global climate change.

Therefore, the Participants have reached the following understandings:

1. The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding is to establish a framework to engage in bilateral cooperation on climate change and related activities.

2. The Participants highlight the important role of the UK-China Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Change. The Participants will hold, hosted on an alternating basis, an annual dialogue to discuss and review progress of areas of cooperation per paragraph 6 and advance the purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding. The dialogue will be convened and chaired by the UK Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero and China’s Minister for Ecology and Environment.

3. In addition to the annual Ministerial Dialogue, the Participants will hold climate change exchanges (virtually / in person) at senior official level at least annually to strengthen engagement on climate change policies and share related information and experiences. The Participants will also hold climate change exchanges at least annually at a working level on the same topics.

4. In accordance with prevailing respective domestic laws and regulations, and subject to available resources, and avoiding duplication with other bilateral activities between China and the UK, the Participants will identify, develop and implement a programme of cooperative activities designed to deliver practical outcomes of mutual benefit.

5. The arrangements applying to individual cooperative activities under this Memorandum of Understanding will be developed through discussion and arrangement between the Participants.

6. The Participants will promote cooperation in the following areas initially:

• Domestic climate mitigation policies, including implementation of nationally determined contributions
• Multilateral climate change processes and agreements, including the UNFCCC
• Climate risk and adaptation to climate change
• Issues relevant to carbon markets, including emission trading schemes
• Climate investment and financing
• Sub-national cooperation
• Measuring and controlling methane emissions; and
• Any other areas mutually agreed upon by the Participants

7. Forms of cooperation between the Participants may include:

• Bilateral policy dialogues and exchanges, including information and knowledge sharing
• Activities such as survey, technical exchanges, symposiums, seminars, workshops, exhibitions, training or forums
• Engagements between local governments, academia and the business community; and
• Any other mutually decided forms of cooperation that contribute to the purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding

8. The Participants will be responsible for implementing activities under this Memorandum of Understanding, in collaboration with relevant domestic agencies, as appropriate. The Participants will maintain interaction and information exchange, and will consult each other regularly on the activities under this Memorandum of Understanding.

9. The Participants may invite other departments and institutions from both countries as they deem necessary to participate in relevant activities.

10. Each Participant may facilitate participation by business, industry and academic communities in climate change activities where appropriate.

11. This Memorandum of Understanding may be amended at any time in writing by the mutual consent of the Participants.

---

SIGNED in London on this 16 day of June in the year 2025, in the English and Chinese languages, in duplicate, both texts having equal validity.

For the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:

Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP,
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

For the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China:

Minister HUANG Runqiu,
Minister for the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China