German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron today held an online summit to discuss efforts to tackle climate change, the DPA reported.

According to Chinese state television, the three leaders discussed co-operation in tackling climate change, China-Europe relations, working together to fight the coronavirus pandemic and other international and regional issues.

Meanwhile, US Special Envoy for Air Conditioning John Kerry is in Shanghai for a meeting with his counterpart Xi Zenhua, where they are preparing for the upcoming summit of world leaders, which is being organized by US President Joe Biden on April 22-23, DPA adds.

The United States and China are the two largest economies in the world and are also among the largest emitters of carbon dioxide.

In order to stay afloat, China will have to shut down most of its coal-fired power plants by the end of this decade and replace them with wind and solar energy, according to a study by research group Transitionero.

China will have to halve the intensity of its use of coal in its energy production by 2030. The transition to clean energy, however, will save the country $ 1,6 billion in the long run, the study said.