Obama meets with Chinese premier as clock ticks on Copenhagen talks

President Obama on Friday met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the Copenhagen climate summit after Obama delivered a speech insisting that outside review of nations’ emissions reduction pledges be part of an international accord.

China has opposed subjecting its actions to outside verification, and U.S. and Chinese negotiators have been struggling to reach a compromise.

According to a pool report, the two met for almost an hour and a White House official said they made progress, calling the talks “constructive.” They discussed emissions goals from all key countries, the verification mechanism, and financing, according to the report.

The two leaders also asked their negotiators to meet both one-on-one and with other countries after the meeting to seek a deal, the White House official said. The two-week summit is scheduled to end Friday but the negotiations could be extended.