China's Hu Says Climate Change on APEC Agenda
Date: 30-Aug-07
Country: CHINA
"Climate change affects sustainable development and the
well-being of all humanity. The Chinese government attaches
great importance to the problem of climate change," the report
quoted Hu saying.
He supports discussion of the issue at the summit and
hopes the delegates can reach an agreement which reflects their
common ground, it added.
China is coming under increasing international pressure
about its carbon dioxide emissions, expected to overtake US
emissions by 2008. But its leaders have rejected caps on output
for fear they will cramp growth.
Beijing says developed countries responsible for most of
the greenhouse gasses already in the atmosphere should do more
to cut their output and transfer clean technology to poorer
nations.
About 1,000 delegates are currently meeting in Vienna to
seek a global deal that would tackle warming beyond 2012 and
widen the UN's Kyoto Protocol to include outsiders such as
the United States and China.
Howard said he was ready to work with China for a positive
outcome at APEC on tackling climate change, the statement said.
Much of Australia is struggling with a 10-year drought,
blamed on climate change by some, and which is expected to wipe
up to one percent from the country's economic output.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum draws together
leaders of 21 economies accounting for more than a third of the
world's population, about 60 percent of global GDP and 47
percent of world trade volume.
Members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua
New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea,
Taiwan (under the name Chinese Taipei), Thailand, United States
and Vietnam.