BEIJING, July 8 -- Companies and research institutes from China and the United States on Tuesday signed deals on eight joint projects for coping with climate change just before a China-U.S. high-level annual meeting opens on Wednesday.

The projects address carbon capture, usage and storage, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) reduction, and the move toward low-carbon cities and a low-carbon model for the cement industry.

The deals marked some of the achievements by the China-U.S. climate change working group, launched during U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to China in April 2013 and aimed at enhancing China-U.S. cooperation on climate change.

The working group will report to senior Chinese and U.S. leaders attending the sixth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue, to be held in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday.