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Sweden and China sign environmental pact
AFP
STOCKHOLM
Petroleumworld.com 06 11 07Sweden and China on Sunday signed an agreement on environmental cooperation under which the two countries will exchange information and know-how.
Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren signed the memorandum of understanding with the head of China's State Environment Protection Administration, Zhou Shengxian, during President Hu Jintao's three-day state visit to the Scandinavian country.
China is one of the most important players in the global fight against climate change because it is the second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the United States.
The International Energy Agency expects China's emissions to overtake the United States by 2010.
Beijing has insisted it is committed to fighting climate change but has maintained that its economic development must come first and that rich nations should shoulder the main burden.
China unveiled its first national strategy for tackling global warming last week, but refused to commit to any caps on the greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming as this would curb the nation's economic boom.
It said however it would make its economy more energy efficient and place a greater focus on its badly degraded environment.
Carlgren told Swedish news agency TT on Saturday that China primarily wanted to learn about the Scandinavian country's "environmental technology solutions", ranging from energy use to waste management and emissions.
Carlgren stressed the importance of collaborating with China on climate issues.
"They're going to be a necessary partner on climate issues. We aren't going to be able to make progress without them," he said.
Meanwhile, the Chinese president also met Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt for talks on Sunday, during which Reinfeldt was to raise the subject of human rights. Climate issues and trade were also on the agenda.
Earlier Sunday, Hu met with business leaders including Peter Wallenberg, the patriarch of the powerful family financial dynasty whose holdings include telecoms group Ericsson, white goods manufacturer Electrolux, truckmaker Scania and the SEB bank.
Wallenberg's son Jacob, the chairman of the board of the Investor holding group, and Jacob's cousin Marcus, chairman of SEB, were also in attendance, as well as Ericsson's chief executive Carl-Henric Svanberg and chairman Michael Treschow.
Ericsson on Sunday signed a one-billion-dollar deal with China Mobile to supply equipment to expand the Asian company's GSM coverage in 19 regions of China.
Hu was to attend a dinner with the Sweden-China Trade Council later Sunday in Stockholm before leaving for China.
AFP 101132 GMT 06 07
Copyright© 2007 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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