United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark highly praised China for its quantitative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target and expressed her aspirations for the upcoming Copenhagen climate summit at a press briefing in Beijing on November 28.

Helen Clark, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aministrator and chair of the UN Development Group, attends a press briefing in Beijing on November 28, after completing a three-day visit to China. [Wang Wei/China.org.cn]

China's State Council announced Thursday that China is going to reduce the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP in 2020 by 40 to 45 percent compared with 2005 levels.

"This is a very important and ambitious target. I think all of us who observe China observe that when it sets important and ambitious targets, it is determined to meet them. Now it will look for support and ideas in meeting these targets. And the UNDP, we stand ready to be mobilizing the expertise and support which will help China with that," Clark said.

"This announcement, at this time, injects momentum into the lead-up to the Copenhagen summit. The announcement that Premier Wen himself, with a substantial delegation, will go to Copenhagen, adds to the momentum to the summit. So I think the announcements from China this week, apart from their substance and ambition, are also important in generating that momentum in meeting that final agreement," Clark added.

As for the prospects of Copenhagen, Clark mentioned that, "the aspiration now is for a political agreement, which could be translated in the course of the next six months to one year into a legally-binding treaty. This is still possible, and China's announcements this week are part of the momentum towards achieving that."

Clark also reiterated that successful climate negotiations will depend on developed countries. "We wait to see precisely what President Obama will take to Copenhagen and we appreciate that at this time the American Senate has not announced its legislation…but certainly going forward the United States needs to be part of the effort to really reduce emissions."

Clark's visit to China lasted three days, during which time she met with state leaders and senior government officials to lay the groundwork for a new era of cooperation with China. The trip commemorated the 30th anniversary of the UNDP's cooperation with the Chinese government. Tackling climate change is just one of the areas meriting attention.

During the past 30 years of partnership, the UNDP and China have been working closely together as China takes steps towards becoming a low-carbon economy. As estimated, 350 million more people will live in Chinese cities in 2030 compared to 2005. Accommodating the increase in city population presents a unique opportunity to build green, urban communities from the start. The UNDP is hence supporting China's efforts to be more energy efficient through its development of sustainable cities.

In the area of renewable energy, Clark believes that "China can be a world leader, exporting knowledge and technology, and demonstrating that economic growth is fully compatible with protecting our planet."

She said China's current policy of seeking a balance between economic growth and environmental protection is also a very important international message. China will be and already is a significant provider of low-cost, low-carbon technologies.

During discussions with Clark, Minister of Environmental Protection Zhou Shengxian also expressed a readiness to work with the UNDP to share environmentally-friendly technologies with other countries.