China, Brazil to strengthen ties, climate cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff met here Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing Paris climate talks, agreeing to strengthen cooperation in a number of areas including global warming.

Both leaders were in Paris attending the opening ceremony of the two-week conference, officially called the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

China attaches great importance to its relations with Brazil and is willing to deepen political and strategic mutual trust, promote communication and cooperation in various areas, and deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Xi said.

The Chinese president urged the two sides to expand industrial investment cooperation in the fields of energy and resources, agriculture, infrastructure and manufacturing.

Meanwhile, China and Brazil could boost bilateral trade, enhance financial cooperation, and make effective use of the BRICS New Development Bank as well as a package of financing arrangements between China and Latin America so as to provide financial support for promoting China-Brazil trade and investment, Xi said.

The two leaders also discussed cooperation on tackling climate change.

As important developing countries and members of the BASIC group, China and Brazil enjoy extensive common interest on climate change, Xi said.

The two sides should work closely and utilize their respective advantages and influence to help yield a comprehensive, balanced, strong and legally binding outcome from the Paris conference, and safeguard the unity and interest of developing countries, Xi added.

For her part, Rousseff said she agrees with Xi's assessment of China- Brazil ties and is happy to see the positive progress achieved in major cooperation projects such as transportation and port construction, adding that she hopes the two sides could also expand cooperation on agriculture and logistics.

Brazil fully supports China's hosting of the 2016 Group of Twenty (G20) summit, Rousseff added.

On climate change, Brazil and China, both as developing countries, share similar historical circumstances and common interest, she said.

Brazil stands ready to enhance coordination and cooperation with China at the Paris conference, and urges all parties to stick to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and achieve a goal conforming to the common interest of the international community, she said. Endi