Yahoo News 21 Oct 09;
NEW DELHI (AFP) – India and China put aside a diplomatic spat to sign a five-year agreement Wednesday to cooperate on climate change leading up to crucial talks in Copenhagen.
The pact establishes a working group to exchange information on climate change ahead of a high-stakes summit in the Danish capital from December 7-18 where nations will attempt to clinch a treaty to reduce carbon emissions.
"We regard India as a sincere, devoted friend and the MoU (memorandum of understanding) on climate change will take our cooperation on the issue to a new high," Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman and minister of China's National Development and Reforms Commission said at the signing in New Delhi.
India and China are among the world's biggest polluters and both have so far taken a united stand on rejecting binding emissions cuts, arguing that carbon caps will hinder them in their quest to alleviate poverty.
"There is no difference between Indian and Chinese position (on climate change)," said Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, adding that their stance "fully protects and promotes the interests of developing nations".
The two nations traded jabs over a recent visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Arunachal Pradesh, an Indian border state at the core of a long-standing territorial dispute between the neighbours.
On Tuesday, China said it was "firmly opposed" to a planned visit by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to the state, while India has recently complained about Chinese involvement in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
-- Dow Jones Newswires contributed to this report --
India, China agree to cooperate on climate change
Muneeza Naqvi, Associated Press Yahoo News 21 Oct 09;
NEW DELHI – India and China, both major polluters and crucial players in fighting global warming, agreed Wednesday to stand together on climate change issues at a major global conference later this year.
The December summit in Copenhagen aims to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the first international deal requiring reductions in emissions of heat-trapping "greenhouse gases" by industrialized countries.
Developing countries argue that the industrial world produced most of the harmful gases in recent decades and should bear the costs of fixing the problem. India and China have agreed to work on slowing the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, but resist making those limits binding and subject to international monitoring.
"There is no difference between the Indian and Chinese negotiating positions, and we are discussing further what the two countries should be doing for a successful outcome at Copenhagen," Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
Xie Zhenhua, China's top climate change negotiator, said the agreement "will usher in a new scenario and take cooperation on climate change between the two countries to a new high," PTI reported.
The agreement emphasized that the "United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol are the most appropriate framework for addressing climate change," according to a text released by India's Environment Ministry.
The United States rejected the Kyoto Protocol because it exempted developing countries, such as India and China, from obligations. Developing countries also want financial aid for their climate change efforts. The challenge in Copenhagen is finding a way to make a deal.
On Tuesday, India, Pakistan and six other South Asian nations said they will stand together at Copenhagen to stick with the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
Wednesday's agreement between India and China comes as a diplomatic dispute continues over the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as its territory since the two nations fought a war in 1962. India rejects Beijing's claim.
The countries have sparred over a proposed visit to the region by the Dalai Lama in mid-November, with China opposing the trip and India's Foreign Ministry saying the Tibetan spiritual leader is free to travel within India.
India-China climate change deal
BBC News 21 Oct 09;
Two of the world's biggest polluters, India and China, have signed an agreement to work together on addressing climate change.
The two countries will co-operate on technology development and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
They have also pledged to work together in international climate change negotiations ahead of the Copenhagen climate change talks in December.
Both argue that capping their emissions would limit their economic growth.
The two countries say that developed countries must play a bigger role in reductions.
Clarification
Speaking ahead of the signing ceremony in Delhi, Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said that there was virtually no difference between Indian and Chinese negotiating positions on international climate treaties.
He said that he would hold more consultations with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, to see "what India and China should do to ensure a successful outcome at Copenhagen that not only protects the environment but promotes the interests of developing countries".
The BBC's Amit Baruah in Delhi says that Mr Ramesh has been forced to clarify his stand in relation to climate change after he was reported as suggesting earlier that he might be prepared to make compromises in order for a deal to be struck at Copenhagen.
"I have never at any stage considered or advocated abandoning the fundamental tenets of the [1997] Kyoto protocol," Mr Ramesh said in an official statement on Tuesday.
"Internationally legally binding [greenhouse gas] reduction targets are for developed countries and developed countries alone, as globally agreed under the [2007] Bali action plan," the statement said.
