China to back Japan's plan on post-Kyoto emissions

China for the first time will express its support for Japan's sectoral approach on reducing greenhouse gas emissions for a post-Kyoto Protocol framework, sources said Friday.

Beijing's support will appear in a joint statement released May 7, following a summit between Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Chinese President Hu Jintao in Japan.

China, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions among developing nations, will hold the key to negotiations on deciding the post-Kyoto Protocol framework starting in 2013.

Such support for Japan's approach is expected to help build a consensus on anti-global warming measures at the Group of Eight (G-8) summit scheduled for July in the Hokkaido resort of Lake Toyako.

According to a draft of the joint statement obtained by The Asahi Shimbun, China will regard Japan's proposal as an important measure in setting emission reduction targets and carrying out reduction efforts.

Japan in the statement will offer its technical and financial assistance to China's emission-cutting efforts.

Under Japan's proposed sectoral approach, the total emission reduction goal for each nation would be calculated by adding up attainable levels of cuts for various sectors, such as industries.

The system would also enhance global reduction efforts through cross-border technical cooperation in each industrial sector.

But the sectoral approach will likely be one of the few issues that Fukuda and Hu can agree on. The two countries remain at odds over joint development of gas fields in the East China Sea in addition to Beijing's crackdown in Tibet.

However, China will not mention specific emission reduction targets for each nation in the joint statement. Instead, the focus will be on environment-related technical cooperation between the two countries.

Japan will refer to technical aid in five fields, such as energy-saving, renewable-energy technologies and improving coal-thermal power generation plants and facilities.

Concerning financial aid, China in the statement will highly evaluate the Cool Earth Partnership, a financial mechanism established by Japan to provide more than 1 trillion yen to help developing nations with measures to curb global warming.

Japan will express its willingness to assist in China's national plan to deal with climate change.

The statement will say that China will consider Japan's long-term goal of at least halving global emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 from the current level.

The two nations will declare that they will establish a partnership to cope with climate change.

In addition, the statement will say the two nations share a common understanding that talks on the post-Kyoto Protocol framework should produce results by the end of 2009, with China's active involvement.(IHT/Asahi: May 3,2008)