Climate on Agenda for Obama’s China Trip
by Shai Oster
BEIJING –Climate change will be among the top issues when President Obama visits China in November, a U.S. official said Wednesday.
China and the U.S., the world’s biggest and second biggest emitters of greenhouse gases respectively, have made energy cooperation a keystone of their relationship even though their differences could still derail an international climate change treaty in talks to be held this December in Copenhagen.
Still, the Obama administration is hoping the president’s trip here, just ahead of the Copenhagen talks, will result in some concrete steps on energy and technology cooperation.
“I expect clean energy and climate change issues will be high on the agenda during Obama’s trip,” David Sandalow, U.S. assistant energy secretary, told reporters. “I’m confident that when the two largest energy consumers and producers get together, it will be an important topic of discussion.”
Countries meeting in Copenhagen will try to forge a pact on carbon emission reduction targets. China has rejected calls for it to commit to emission caps, arguing that industrialized countries have a historical responsibility to clean up first.
