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China, India ink climate co-op deal

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-22 13:25

China and India Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on cooperation in dealing with climate change in New Delhi, signaling an upgrading of Sino-Indian cooperation in the field.

The agreement was signed by Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of National Development and Reform Commission of China, and Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Environment and Forestry of India at the national action plan joint meeting on climate change held by the two governments.

According to the MoA, China and India will build partnership on climate change and strengthen cooperation in alleviation, adaptation and empowerment projects concerning climate change.

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The two countries will also set up a Joint Working Group which will hold meetings alternately every year in China and India, to exchange views on major issues in global climate talks, domestic policies and measures, and implementing related cooperative projects, according to the MoA.

Ramesh said that this is the first time for both India and China to have started such bilateral cooperation this way, so it can be looked upon as an important step in the development of Indo- Chinese relations.

"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," said Ramesh.

Xie said that the climate change is the result of unrestricted emission of greenhouse gases by developed countries in two centuries of industrialization.

However, the adverse impact of climate change affects everybody on earth. So it is necessary for the international community to work together to tackle this problem.

Xie also said that both China and India are developing countries and most vulnerable to climate change's adverse effects. Both countries are also in the accelerating stage of industrialization and urbanization and are faced with the multiple tasks of developing economy, wiping out poverty, improving people' s life standard and protecting environment.

He said that both Chinese and Indian governments pay great importance to climate change and have been issuing national action plans to tackle this problem.

"As long as China and India further coordinate and cooperation over climate change, they can surely help bring about a solution in negotiations by the international community, which would take into account both environment protection and development of all countries," he said.

Xie also said that while all countries expect UN Copenhagen Climate Summit to be a milestone, the talks are being stalled because some developed countries are trying to minimize their duties on reducing emission and capital and technology transfer.

Therefore, it is more than necessary for China and India, as well as other developing countries, to hold bilateral and multilateral consultations among themselves in the process of the global negotiations, in order to better protect the common interests of all developing countries, he added.