French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday urged the international community to fight climate change unitedly.

Addressing students at Beijing's Tsinghua University, he said: "Global warming is a global issue and we must take collective action to tackle it.... We can't have one response for Europe and another for Asia, one for the North and another for the South."

France endorses the "differentiated responsibility" principle to fight climate change, Sarkozy said. That means the higher a country's greenhouse gas emission level, the greater its responsibility should be in tackling global warming, Sarkozy said.

"In terms of per capita pollution, the damage our country has caused is much more than yours, and therefore we should shoulder greater responsibility (to undo it)."

He, however, asked China to pursue sustainable development as a developing country. China should change its energy-intensive production model quickly and thoroughly according to the size and might of its economy.

"We are not asking you to give up your development," he said. "China has the capacity to take this strategic decision and can set the world an example."

Earlier, at the National Stadium (Bird's Nest), Sarkozy said he would attend the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

But he has a demand. Accepting President Hu Jintao's invitation, he said in lighter vein: "I will attend the opening ceremony but please reserve a nice seat for me."

Sarkozy was in a jovial mood during his visit to the Bird's Nest, where the Games' opening ceremony will be held, and the National Aquatics Center (Water Cube).

"The buildings are amazing," he said, clicking photographs.

Later, answering a student's question at Tsinghua University, he said France would send a "very important delegation" to attend the Olympics opening ceremony.

All About Climate change, Global warming

(China Daily November 28, 2007)