EU appeals to Asian nations: Fight global warming

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The European Union urged China and other rapidly growing Asian economies to do more to combat climate change and commit to cutting their emissions of greenhouse gases. But talks between EU and Chinese officials on Monday failed to make progress in convincing China, Asia's top polluter, to commit to their share of emissions cuts as part of new global climate talks which are set to start later this year, according to diplomats and EU officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said his country was not to blame for the problem, but was willing to hold further talks with the EU and at the United Nations on the issue. "The current status of climate change is not the doing of the developing countries; on the other hand we are living on the same planet, so every country has the responsibility to do what it can to help protect the environment," Yang told reporters after bilateral talks with the EU.