China to attend climate change meeting in US

Beijing—A representative of Chinese President Hu Jintao will head a delegation to attend a two-day climate change meeting in the United States, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Tuesday.
“We hope this meeting will be a success in promoting technology cooperation on climate change between the world’s major economies and pushing forward the international negotiations along the track of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol,” said Jiang at regular press conference. President Hu’s representative will be Xie Zhenhua, deputy minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the nation’s top economic planner.
The meeting, to be held on Sept. 27 and 28 in Washington, was a proposal by U.S. President George W. Bush, to set long-term goals on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Invited to the meeting in Washington are representatives of the United Nations, European Union member countries, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Republic of Korea.
The United States, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has refused to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which mandates cuts in the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. The Protocol expires in 2012. Developed countries should continue to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions after 2012 when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Monday.
Speaking at a UN climate change meeting in New York, Yang said that the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be adhered to in global efforts to address the challenges of climate change. Developed countries should meet their emission reduction targets set in the Kyoto Protocol, help developing countries build the capacity to tackle climate change and continue to take the lead in reducing emissions after 2012, he said.
Developing countries should also take proactive measures and control the growth of greenhouse gas emissions to the best of their ability and in keeping with their particular conditions, he said. The top Chinese diplomat said that the basic framework established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) must be upheld and the convention, which has played a leading role in global cooperation in climate change, should continue to serve as the framework for future cooperation.
Mitigation, adaptation, financing and technology, being all important means in addressing climate change, should receive equal attention, Yang said. It is necessary to increase financial assistance and technology transfer to developing countries.—Xinhua