Hu, Abe to work together to combat changing climate

"President Hu said he wants to strengthen cooperation in the field of environmental protection."

Japanese foreign ministry official

Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday agreed to work together to tackle climate change, a Japanese foreign ministry official said.

The two leaders met briefly on the sidelines of a summit of APEC leaders in Sydney after officials from the two sides failed to find time in their schedules for formal one-to-one talks.

"President Hu said he wants to strengthen cooperation in the field of environmental protection and Prime Minister Abe said the environment is an area in which we can cooperate a lot," the official said.

China, the world's second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, did not have to agree to specific targets on curbing emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

The two leaders also emphasized the need to strengthen bilateral ties, as the near neighbors try to mend relations that had been soured over their wartime past.

China lodged furious protests over former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a war shrine seen in many Asian countries as a symbol of Japan's militarism.

Abe is expected to visit China by the end of the year.