UK climate summit chief says had constructive discussions with China

Britain's Alok Sharma, president of this year's United Nations COP26 climate change conference, said on Wednesday he had held constructive discussions with China in recent days ahead of the summit in November.

"I have had constructive discussions on my first visit to China in the COP26 role, but time is running out to prevent a climate catastrophe, and so the discussions I have had here are nothing short of crucial," Sharma said in a statement.

"The choices that China makes, on their energy mix, and on coal specifically, will shape our shared future ... The question that remains is how fast they put these into action, along with other major emitters."