China announced on Monday it will prohibit its airlines from paying European Union charges on carbon emissions, ratcheting up a global dispute over the cost of combating climate change. The charges are aimed at curbing emissions of climate-changing gases but governments including China, the US and Russia oppose them. Ratings agency Fitch warned in December the conflict could spiral into a global trade dispute. The Chinese air regulator said China’s carriers are barred from paying the charges or other fees without government permission, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.