Climate change cooperation

Obama said while answering a question of a student that it is vital for the US and China to strengthen cooperation in dealing with the global challenge of climate change.

US President Barack Obama(C) arrives at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum to deliver a speech at a dialogue with Chinese youth during his four-day visit to China, Nov. 16, 2009. [Pei Xin/Xinhua]

"There are very few global challenges that can be solved unless China and the United States agree," he said.

As the world's two largest greenhouse gas emitters, the United States and China should assume the responsibility to curb greenhouse gas emissions, he said.

"Unless both of our countries are willing to take critical steps in dealing with this issue, we will not be able to resolve it," Obama said.

Obama called on world leaders to strike a deal at the Copenhagen conference in December during which they would possibly make differentiated commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

China should not take the same obligations as the United States since it has a much larger population fighting poverty, Obama said.