[JURIST] The US is set to announce a new global warming pact with China, India, Australia, and South Korea on Thursday, diplomats in Vientiane said Wednesday. US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick [official bio], who is currently attending the ASEAN regional forum in Laos, will hold a press conference announcing new strategies for developing energy technologies designed to reduce greenhouse gas omissions. The Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate is said to go beyond the Kyoto Protocol [Wikipedia backgrounder; JURIST news archive], which the US and Australia have so far refused to ratify, by including the countries which emit more than 40% of the world's greenhouse gases. Though Japan, the world's number two economy, seemed to welcome the agreement, others were critical. Bob Brown, leader of the Australian Greens [official website; press release] party said that money would be "diverted from developing clean renewable technologies," under the pact. Reuters has more.