China PM calls up Manmohan Singh to discuss Copenhagen summit

Ahead of the Copenhagen Summit on climate change, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao today called up prime minister Manmohan Singh to discuss a joint strategy for the conference where pressure is mounting on major developing countries on greenhouse gas emission reduction.

The two leaders exchanged views on the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, the prime minister's office said.

"The two leaders agreed that the two sides would keep in touch with each other in the run-up to this important conference," it said.

The telephone call by Wen came in the backdrop of growing pressure on India and China, along with other major emerging economies, by the developed world to do more on emission cuts.

Both Singh and Wen will be attending the summit to be held in the Danish capital on December 17-18.

Wen called up Singh hours after negotiators of China and the US had a heated exchange of words at Copenhagen.

The two prime ministers talked a day after a tiny Pacific island nation Tuvalu seemed to cause a rift within the grouping of developing nations as it pressed for discussions on legally-binding amendment to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.