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Xi, Obama Pledge Cooperation to Implement Paris Climate Accord

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President Barack Obama (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Le Bourget, outside Paris, Nov. 30, 2015.
President Barack Obama (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Le Bourget, outside Paris, Nov. 30, 2015.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama, leaders of the world's two biggest polluters, pledged Monday to work together to implement the historic Paris climate change accord.

In a phone conversation, Xi told Obama the pact agreed to Saturday was the result of global cooperation and charted a clear path for further international efforts, according to an account by Beijing's Foreign Ministry.

Xi said China wants to maintain coordination and cooperation with the United States on other international issues.

The White House said Obama praised the Paris accord that would curb polluting emissions over the coming years. Obama said there was "close coordination" between Chinese and American negotiating teams in Paris to make sure the climate pact was approved.

The American leader said U.S. cooperation with China on the climate accord showed the two countries can reach agreement on a range of international issues.

China and the United States are the world's two largest carbon emitters, although the Asian nation's emissions are almost twice that of the United States and about two and a half times that of the 28-nation European Union.

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