TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Monday that he hopes China will step forward to be a "real leader" on climate issues, while rejecting criticism that the United States is backing down.

President Donald Trump's decision last week to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement has sparked speculation that he is creating a leadership void that China could fill.

Perry, in Tokyo en route to a meeting of energy ministers in Beijing, said: "I hope China will step in and attempt to take the mantle away. It would be a good challenge for them."

But he prefaced that remark by sayin...