WASHINGTON: The United States and China are "committed to cooperating" on the pressing issue of climate change, the two sides said in a joint statement Saturday, following a visit to Shanghai by US climate envoy John Kerry.

"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," according to the statement from Kerry and China's special envoy for climate change Xie Zhenhua.