Bush wants China ‘at the table’ on climate change
Bush wants China ‘at the table’ on climate change
Sydney: US President George W. Bush said on 5 September that an effective global policy on climate change will need to have China “at the table" as an active participant.
Bush was speaking in Sydney ahead of the annual summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which has placed the threat to the world’s climate near the top of its agenda.
“In order for there to be an effective climate change policy, China needs to be a the table," Bush told reporters at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
“In order to get China to the table, they have to be a part of defining the goals. Once we can get people to define the goals, we can encourage people to define the tactics necessary to achieve the goals."
Bush said climate change would be one of the issues he would discuss with Chinese President Hu Jintao later this week in Sydney during bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit.
Bush argued deep Chinese involvement in efforts to curb climate change would be the most productive approach, rather than one that instructed Beijing what to do.
“This strategy is going to be a lot more effective than saying, ‘This is what you’ve got to do. We’re telling you how to behave.’ As opposed to ‘Why don’t we work together to achieve a common consensus?´" Bush said.
China’s rapid industrial growth has turned it into one of the biggest emitters of the greenhouse gases that are behind global warming.
But Beijing maintains that it should not be expected to take drastic action because it needs to focus on lifting more Chinese out of poverty through economic growth.
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