Brown hails environmental work with China

By Adrian Croft

SHANGHAI, China (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed a new era of environmental cooperation between Britain and China on Saturday and called for a renewed drive for a world trade deal.

Brown visited a highly efficient gas-fired power station in Beijing and studied the plans for an environmentally friendly town to be built near Shanghai to underline his keenness to cooperate with China on fighting global warming.

"We now enter this new era of environmental cooperation," Brown told a news conference in Shanghai after listening to a presentation on Dongtan, billed as the world's first eco-city.

Construction is due to start early this year at Dongtan, designed by British engineering firm Arup. It will use renewable energy and will not allow gasoline-fuelled cars.

It is the first of a number of low-carbon eco-towns being planned by both Britain and China, the second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the United States.

Brown, who flies to India on Sunday, pleaded for progress in slow-moving talks on a new world trade agreement.

"I would like the talks which have now been stalled for some months to resume," he said.

All sides would have to compromise to reach a deal but the differences can be bridged, Brown said.