In China today, U.S. President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping formally committed their countries to the Paris Agreement on climate change, as Mark Lander and Jane Perlez report for The New York Times, “cementing their partnership on climate change and offering a rare display of harmony in a relationship that has become increasingly discordant.”

At a ceremony at the lakefront city of Hangzhou, the leaders of the world’s top two emitting countries hailed the adoption of the Paris Agreement as a key step to bringing it into force worldwide. Their joining is key to the entry into force of the Agreement, which requires at least 55 countries representing at least 55% of the world’s emissions to join the climate accord. China and the U.S. alone represent nearly 40% of the world’s emissions.

“Despite our differences on other issues, we hope our willingness to work together on this issue will inspire further ambition and further action around the world,” Mr. Obama declared.

Photo: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shakes hands with Barack Obama, President of the United States, during a ceremony for the deposit of instruments by China and the United States to join the Paris Agreement. Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, looks on | Photo Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe