Singh was speaking on the eve of a summit with US President Barack Obama, whose administration indicated hours earlier it would propose a target for carbon emission cuts ahead of next month's high-stakes Copenhagen summit.
China and other growing developing them have been pressing for Western nations to offer technology and other support to help them reduce the intensity of emissions blamed for global warming.
But the emerging economies have resisted legally binding requirements, saying it is not they, but wealthy nations which bear responsibility for carbon emissions.