Miliband said he was encouraged by Chinese leaders’ change in tone since late last year. “I think they’re up for a deal. I get the strong impression that they want an agreement,” he told the Guardian. “They see the impact of climate change on China and they know the world is moving towards a low-carbon economy and see the business opportunities that will come with that.”
While China’s official negotiating position is unchanged, the government is understood to be preparing a set of targets up to and beyond 2020 to lower the country’s “carbon intensity”. That means cutting the emissions needed to produce each unit of economic growth.
A shift in the Chinese position would significantly improve the chances of an international agreement when world leaders meet in Copenhagen in December to negotiate a new emissions deal. No deal will be possible without China and the United States, which together are responsible for more than 40% of the world’s annual carbon emissions.
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