President Hu Jintao will present China's propositions on
climate change at the upcoming outreach session of the G-8 Summit,
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said in Beijing on
Monday.
At the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Hu will
attend the Summit held in Germany from June 6 to 8.
The Chinese government is serious about climate change and will
handle the issue in a spirit of responsibility for human life, Cui
told reporters at a press briefing.
"The Chinese population represents one fifth of the world's
total... so the Chinese government is very conscious of the impact
of global climate change," Cui said.
He said China will continue to pursue sustainable development
and actively participate in world cooperation based on the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol,
adding that developed countries must also do their part to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
"Poverty cannot resolve environment and climate issues. The
preoccupation of developing countries with economic growth is
understandable and legitimate," he said. "Developed nations must
provide the funds and the technologies to help developing countries
combat climate change."
Under the National Climate Change Program issued on Monday, the
first by a developing country, China has pledged to restructure its
economy, promote clean technologies, and improve energy
efficiency.
This is the fourth outreach dialogue between the G-8 nations and
leaders of developing countries. Cui said he hoped the meeting
would strengthen north-south dialogue and cooperation, facilitate
multilateralism so as to help resolve global issues, and create
favorable conditions for developing countries.
(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2007)
