China and the United States are expected to discuss cutting carbon emissions and fossil fuel projects during a visit by US climate envoy John Kerry, who is due to arrive in Tianjin on Tuesday night.

Kerry will stay in the northeastern city until Friday, meeting his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua for a follow-up to their talks in Shanghai in April.

The former secretary of state will head to Tianjin after climate talks in Tokyo earlier in the day, including with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

The trip comes as China and the US are at odds over a range of issues – with climate change one of the few areas where they are working together.

In Tianjin, both sides will seek to build on their commitment made in Shanghai to work together to implement the Paris Agreement and develop long-term strategies for carbon neutrality by late October, when the UN’s climate change conference, COP26, will begin in Glasgow, the US State Department said on Monday. China’s environment ministry said they would discuss climate cooperation and exchange views on COP26.

Guest post from South China Morning Post