Following her appointment, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not yet had direct discussions with the Indian or Chinese Governments on tackling climate change. She looks forward to visiting both countries to discuss climate change and other issues of mutual interest in the coming months. I will be travelling to China from 10-17 July 2006 and will be raising climate change with my counterparts while there.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has announced that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will play an increasing role in delivering the Government’s international objectives on climate change. On 8 June, she announced the appointment of a special representative for climate change, John Ashton. His primary focus will be to build a stronger political foundation for international action on climate change, working to build consensus among key governmental and non-governmental actors in priority countries, including China and India.