Copenhagen high on agenda for Obama's first Asia tour

The build-up to next month's Copenhagen Summit enters a crucial period today as US President Barack Obama embarks on his first official tour of Asia, with the prospects of a global climate change deal expected to be high on the agenda in a series of bilateral talks with Japan, China and India.

The President is to meet with Japan's recently elected Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in Tokyo tomorrow, where the two leaders are expected to reiterate their commitment to co-operate in pursuit of an international climate change deal.

They are also set to announce greater co-operation in the development of clean technologies, such as carbon capture and storage systems, according to the Nikkei business paper.

Obama will then undertake a three-day visit of China, before completing the tour with trips to Singapore and Seoul. A week later, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit Washington and be honoured with the first full state visit of Obama's presidency.

Speaking to Reuters prior to his departure, Obama said that climate change would be a key part of his talks with Chinese president Hu Jintao, adding that he was fully committed to reaching an agreement between the two nations that would allow for a new framework to be agreed at the Copenhagen summit.

To date the two countries have been at loggerheads with China, insisting that the US must commit to more ambitious carbon emission targets, and the US arguing that it cannot do so unless China makes some form of binding pledge to tackle its own soaring emissions.

However, Obama is expected to attempt to smooth over tensions between the two countries' negotiating teams, telling Reuters that "on critical issues, whether climate change, economic recovery, nuclear nonproliferation, it is very hard to see how we succeed or China succeeds in our respective goals, without working together".

He added that he remains "optimistic" that between now and Copenhagen a viable political framework can be agreed to help cut greenhouse gas emissions.

He also signalled for the first time that he was willing to attend the Copenhagen talks if necessary. "If I am confident that all of the countries involved are bargaining in good faith and we are on the brink of a meaningful agreement and my presence in Copenhagen will make a difference in tipping us over the edge, then certainly that's something that I will do," he said.

In related news, Australia and India yesterday joined the flurry of bi-lateral climate deals being agreed ahead of the Copenhagen talks, with Australian prime minister committing to invest $50m in rolling out clean technologies across India.