China, US differ on global plan to cut emissions

China and the United States have taken small steps toward their shared goal of fighting climate change but remain significantly apart over a wider global plan to cut carbon emissions.

China's chief climate official Xie Zhenhua said on Wednesday that China should not be subject to the same rules for greenhouse gas emissions as the United States and other rich countries, while the U.S. special envoy Todd Stern said Washington favors every country deciding what it is capable of doing, instead of being classified either as a developed country or a developing country.

The difference aside, the two sides announced eight projects to improve fuel efficiency and other standards on Wednesday.

Secretary of State John Kerry and other U.S. officials are in Beijing for two days of high-level bilateral talks.