China/US make historic climate change pact

(Vatican Radio) US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping have held two days of talks in Beijing at the end of the APEC summit of leaders.

In a press briefing both Presidents sought to down play points of tension between their two nations, unveiling a flurry of agreements on climate change, military cooperation and trade.

According to a joint announcement by President Xi Jinping and President Obama, China will aim to reach peak CO2 emissions by "around 2030" and strive to achieve the target earlier, while the United States would slash emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent from the 2005 level.

It is an unexpected breakthrough by the world's two largest polluters- the two countries together produce about 45% of the world's carbon dioxide. Yet it was unclear how feasible it would be for either country to meet their goals.  President Obama's pledge is sure to confront tough opposition from ascendant Republicans in Congress.

President Xi Jinping described the talks as "constructive " adding that the two countries had also agreed to speed up discussions on a bilateral investment treaty and to deepen military trust, including communication on fighting terrorism.

However, differences were also expressed – President Obama said he had pressed the Chinese leader on human rights and cyber security threats.

Hong Kong’s Pro-democracy protests were also discussed. Obama said the US would encourage free and fair elections, while Xi stated issues in the territory were an internal Chinese affair.

Regarding territorial disputes in the South China Sea, President Obama ruled out intervention while calling for freedom of navigation and a peaceful resolution to conflicts.