This blog post was originally published forChina Daily USA.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama have made a landmark joint announcement on climate that will provide a major jolt of momentum for international climate action. By putting clear emission targets on the table, these two leaders have made it clear they understand the risks of climate change—and the urgency of action.

A century from now, historians could look back and see this as a turning point: the moment when China and the United States took a leading role in the global shift away from high-carbon fossil fuels, toward strong economies that rely primarily on renewable energy and low-carbon technology.

The building blocks of this new, lower-carbon future are already in place. By using them intelligently, China and the U.S. can show the world that a sustainable environment and a growing economy go hand in hand.

China, especially, is at a pivot point: after 30 years of rapid economic growth, its GDP fell to around 7.7 percent last year, the lowest since the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Poised at the final stages of industrialization and mid-way through a process of urbanization, China has made great strides in energy efficiency and renewable energy, installing 12 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic projects in 2013, 50 percent more than any other country has done in a single year. However, China is also the world's largest fossil fuel importer, making it more vulnerable than developed economies to volatile global energy prices.

刚发布的报告，China and the New Climate Economy, a project on behalf of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, with research led by experts at Tsinghua University, shows that China faces a series of important choices that will shape its future and affect the rest of the world. The opportunities for China in terms of clean air, increased energy security and dynamic growth are great, and so are the challenges.

Between now and 2030, China has the opportunity to become a high-income economy, but it needs sustainable economic growth to avoid getting stuck in a middle-income trap. A new climate economy that takes better care of the environment also presents many business and growth opportunities.

中国可以成为开发新的和可再生能源解决方案的全球领导者，但要这样做，它将需要改革自己的能源系统，并在促进安全，高效，清洁和低碳能源供应和消费方面升入一个新的水平。中国可以在未来的全球低碳发展中发挥重要作用，只要它进一步限制温室气体排放并管理气候变化的风险即可。必威官网是真的吗

中国如何最好地抓住这些机会？到2030年，中国新宣布的计划达到排放峰并将非化石燃料能源份额提高到20％左右的计划是朝着正确的方向迈出的一步。关于经济重组，节能，能源效率提高，可再生能源开发和空气污染法规的新政策也很重要。政府可以通过发送正确的市场信号来为私人公司提供投资低碳项目的确定性来做很多事情。

A tall order? Yes. But there are clear signs that meeting its new target to peak emissions by 2030 is very possible for China. Researchers at Tsinghua University and MIT found that by continuing current efforts to reduce carbon intensity, emissions will level off between 2030 and 2040.

加速努力可能会使级别的升级到2025年，此后排放量下降。中国经济规划局的主要研究人员江昆恩（Jiang Kejun）还发现，一项积极的战略，加上诸如促进碳捕获和储存的其他政策，到2025年达到顶峰。中国也开始考虑在低较低的新步骤中，碳路径，例如封盖煤炭并将其定价为碳。从其他国家的经验来看，我们知道诸如此类的政策可以帮助推动创新并削减过渡成本，从而更容易实现或超过当前的目标。

This is an area where China and the U.S. can work together to benefit both countries. While all major emitters are taking some climate action—the US and China included—none are yet doing enough. With China at an economic and environmental crossroad, ongoing cooperation on climate and clean energy with the US can yield significant social and economic rewards for both countries. The benefits of this course can and must go together to tackle climate change and create vibrant economies for the 21st century.