EU to help China tackle greenhouse gas
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-09-06 07:02

Environmental group WWF hailed the agreement.

"It is a very welcome signal that both China and the EU recognize climate change as a key geopolitical issue and are ready to take concrete action to reduce its threats," said Jennifer Morgan, Director of the global WWF Climate Change Programme, in a statement.

"Unlike the recent Asia-Pacific Pact with the United States and other countries, this agreement includes policies, markets and technologies, which should lead to real and significant action."

Some activists say the six-nation Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, which was announced in July, had hazy targets and could be a distraction attempt ahead of U.N. talks in November that will focus on widening the environmental agreement known as the Kyoto Protocol past 2012.

Coal is China's main energy source, satisfying 75 percent of the country's energy needs, said Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao at the summit.

An EU-China partnership on climate change was set up at the summit that will lead to cooperation on technology and ongoing discussions on tackling global warming, the statement said.