CHINA TO ENDORSE SECTORAL APPROACH IN JOINT

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 001219 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE ALSO FOR G, OES, EEB, AND EAP/J AND C NSC FOR JSHRIER, KTONG, AND PBROWN STATE PASS CEQ E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2018 TAGS: ENRG SENV KGHG CH JA SUBJECT: CHINA TO ENDORSE SECTORAL APPROACH IN JOINT CLIMATE STATEMENT WITH JAPAN REF: A. TOKYO 1075 ¶B. TOKYO 1138 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Joseph R. Donovan, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Japanese officials confirmed press reports that Japan and China continue to negotiate the text of a joint statement on climate change to be issued by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda during the former's visit to Tokyo on May 7. Several major news outlets reported the statement will include China's characterizing Japan's proposed sectoral approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as an "important step." Media reports also said the statement will include Chinese appreciation for Japan's USD 10 billion fund for clean energy technologies and adaptation to climate change in developing countries. For its part, the GOJ will praise China's plan to cut energy consumption by 20 percent from 2005 levels by 2010 and will include language that Japan is "ready to help China's efforts," according to a front page article in the May 2 Mainichi Shimbun. However, the statement will not mention country specific emissions reduction targets, due to Chinese opposition, according to the article. ¶2. (C) While Foreign (MOFA) and Environment (MOE) ministry officials refused to confirm details of the draft statement that had been leaked to the press, a Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) official gave Econoff background on China's apparent change of stance regarding Japan's sectoral approach proposal. METI Global Environmental Affairs Deputy Director Susumu Okamoto, who said he was involved in negotiating the joint statement, said high level METI and Chinese officials had positive discussions on the sectoral approach at the Paris MEM. He speculated comments in favor of the sectoral approach by a number of countries had led higher-level Chinese officials to overrule the lower-level Chinese climate negotiators who had opposed the sectoral approach. ¶3. (C) The climate change statement is separate from a joint communique on bilateral relations that is also under negotiation (refs),according to a May 2 Nikkei article. However, Okamoto's comments and the contents of the climate statement leaked to the press indicate considerable agreement between Japan and China on the issue; as opposed to the joint communique, which is bogged down over Taiwan (ref B). DONOVAN