Obama, Xi discuss Paris climate agreement

President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated each other this weekend for their work on a landmark climate agreement reached in Paris on Saturday. 

The two spoke by phone on Sunday, the White House said. According to a summary of the conservation, Obama “expressed appreciation” for China’s involvement in forming the climate deal. 

{mosads}Obama noted the agreement the U.S. and China reached last year on climate change, and “emphasized the importance of continuing close U.S.-China cooperation on climate change issues into the future,” the White House said.

World leaders approved the historic climate change deal on Saturday, a first-ever agreement to reduce carbon emissions from most countries around the globe. 

Getting China on board was especially important for the success of the United Nations climate change conference. 

The country is the world’s largest carbon emitter, but last year, in an announcement alongside Obama, Xi pledged to have its emissions peak by 2030 as part of the climate pact. It was the first time China had agreed to limit its greenhouse gases.

The U.S., the second-largest emitter in the world, has agreed to a 26 percent to 28 percent reduction in emissions from 2005 levels by 2025. 

Obama spoke with Xi, as well as the leaders of France, Brazil and India, last week as negotiators were finalizing the climate deal in Paris. 

He praised the deal on Saturday, calling it “a turning point for the world.”