Jairam Ramesh to meet counterparts from Brazil, South Africa in China

India and China are on the same page as far as negotiations are concerned but not on the emissions front, said Environment and Forests minister Jairam Ramesh. He was speaking on the sidelines of the CII Sutainability Summit held here today.

The minister made this statement a day ahead of his one-day visit to China where he will be meeting the environment ministers of China, Brazil and South Africa in an effort “to come up with a coordinated position to present in Copenhagen” for the climate change talks scheduled in December.

“We will not agree to legally binding emission cuts and a peaking year. India needs to balance its domestic obligations with international commitments. The prime minister has received an invitation to visit Copenhagen on 18 December. We will not be under any pressure to have emission reducing targets,” Ramesh told reporters on sidelines of the event. As part of the China visit, Ramesh will have a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart besides having discussions with other countries.