China is doing what it can in combating climate change as the government is very conscious of the challenges posed by climate change impacts, said a U.N. official on Friday.

Climate change mitigation has to be put in a global context, and it has to be "rational and fair" in demanding any actions required for mitigation, said Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in a side-event held during the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.

"China is doing a great deal in terms of bringing about high efficiency of energy use," said Pachauri on the side-event "The United Nations and China: Connecting Institutions, Technology and Partnerships to Combat Climate Change".

China has made major investments in hydro-projects in an important shift to new sources of energy. And China has made major strides in renewable energy, said Pachauri in his address "The IPCC Findings: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report and implications for China".

"China has to sum up a creative model in adaptation to climate change ... and combine energy policies and climate change mitigation in a manner that ensures a rapid economic development."

"Efforts to push China into accepting commitment at this point of time when several developed countries are really not showing that level of political will and that level of ambition to cut down on their own emissions may really not be the right strategy."

The U.N. official said, "China is doing what it can and probably doing much more and will do much more. But this has to be part of a global effort where the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' can not be forgotten."

China published its National Program to address climate change in June this year, setting ambitious domestic goals including reducing energy consumption per unit GDP by 20 percent and increasing the share of renewable energy to 10 percent by 2010.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2007)
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