Miliband: China "up for a deal" at Copenhagen

The positive signals from the Chinese government that it is willing to back a global climate change deal at UN talks in Copenhagen later this year have stepped up a gear, according to Ed Miliband, UK energy and climate change secretary.

Speaking following meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing this week, Miliband told the Guardian newspaper that there was evidence that China was now far more likely to agree to a global deal than it was even six months ago.

"I think they're up for a deal. I get the strong impression that they want an agreement," he said, adding that the visible impact of climate change on areas of China, coupled with the election of Barack Obama, had led to a shift in the country's approach to the UN talks.

"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," he added.

China's official negotiating position remains unchanged, with officials arguing that the country will not sign up to binding emission targets unless developed economies such as the US and Europe take on a greater share of responsibility for emissions reduction.

However, recent months have seen both China and the US adopt a more conciliatory tone at climate talks and Miliband is not the first commentator to observe an apparent shift in China's position.

Last month, Su Wei, a member of China's negotiating team, told the Guardian that the country could agree to carbon-intensity targets, arguing that "We can very easily translate our [existing] energy-reduction targets to carbon dioxide limitation… China has not reached the stage where we can reduce overall emissions, but we can reduce energy intensity and carbon intensity".

In recent months, the government has also signalled that it is on track to meet its own energy-efficiency targets and is planning more demanding targets for the next decade. It has also trialled regional emission cap-and-trade schemes, earmarked a large chunk of its economic stimulus spending for clean tech investments and commissioned studies into carbon taxation.

Miliband said that the recent shift in US climate change policy following the election of Barack Obama had also made a "real difference" to China's position. "China used to think the developed world is not serious. That's what they were saying [at UN talks] in December," he said. "But now they know the US is on the pitch and ready to engage with them."