The top Chinese negotiator for the United Nations climate change talks being held in Barcelona said Tuesday that the Kyoto Protocol must be followed.

"China's position is quite clear: the Kyoto Protocol must be adhered to, since it best illustrates the principal of 'common but differentiated' responsibilities," said Su Wei, head of the Chinese delegation to the talks.

Su told Xinhua that during earlier negotiations, some countries had proposed discarding the Kyoto Protocol and adopting a totally new document at December's Copenhagen climate change meeting.

"This demand is strongly rejected by the Group of 77 and China, and other developing countries," Su said.

Su stressed that the Kyoto Protocol must be the legal basis for further negotiations at Copenhagen, and developed countries must fulfill their obligations under the protocol, which regulates that they should clarify their reduction targets in the second phase of the protocol.

"If this basic arrangement is changed, the future of the Copenhagen meeting would be greatly shadowed," Su said.

The deal to be reached at the Copenhagen conference, Su said, should have two basic elements.

One element is to set the mid-term emission reduction targets for developed countries under the Kyoto Protocol. That is, developed countries as a whole should commit to making 25-40 percent cuts below 1990 levels by 2020.

The second element is to make substantial arrangements for the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in accordance with the Bali Roadmap.

"We hope we could lay a good foundation for the Copenhagen conference through negotiations at this meeting," Su said.