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U.S. climate envoy John Kerry visiting China from July 16-19
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China's Xie says climate diplomacy could improve bilateral ties
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Geopolitical tensions could undermine progress
(Adds extreme weather in Europe, Asia and U.S. in paragraphs 2-3, quotes from Kerry in paragraphs 5-6)
By Valerie Volcovici
BEIJING, July 17 (Reuters) - U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said it was "imperative that China and the United States make real progress" in the four months before U.N.-sponsored climate talks begin in Dubai, as waves of extreme heat and rainfall hit large parts of the globe.
While Kerry met his counterpart Xie Zhenhua in the Chinese capital Beijing on Monday in efforts to rebuild trust between the world's top two greenhouse gas emitters, severe heat warnings had been declared in Italy, Greece and the United States.
Floods have already killed 40 people in South Korea and at least five in the U.S. northeast, with unusually heavy rainfall in India also forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people in the capital New Delhi.
China has also experienced months of record-breaking heat and extreme weather, with readings at one weather station in the far northwestern region of Xinjiang on Sunday hitting an all-time high of 52.2 degrees Celsius (126 Fahrenheit).
"Floods and intensive storms happen with greater frequency than ever before ... Fires devour millions of acres of forest every year," Kerry said as delegates gathered in a conference room overlooking Beijing's Forbidden City on Monday morning.
"It is toxic for both Chinese and for Americans and for people in every country on the planet."
Kerry urged China to partner with the United States to cut methane emissions and reduce the climate impact of coal-fired power, with the two sides aiming to restore relations following a suspension in talks last year.
"In the next three days we hope we can begin taking some big steps that will send a signal to the world about the serious purpose of China and the United States to address a common risk, threat, challenge to all of humanity created by humans themselves," Kerry said.
This week's meetings, which will continue until Wednesday, will have no formal schedule but are expected to focus on the abatement of methane and other non-CO2 emissions, as well as the run-up to the COP28 global climate talks starting in November.
China's reliance on coal is also likely to be on the agenda. Kerry praised the "incredible job" China has been doing in building up renewable energy capacity but said it had been undercut by the construction of new coal power plants.