The government yesterday urged developed countries to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to deal with the challenge of climate change.

"We believe developed countries have the capacity and responsibility to play a bigger role in dealing with climate change and should take the lead on the reduction of gas emissions," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular news briefing yesterday.

In a meeting with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe meeting of foreign ministers in Germany on Monday, EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner stressed the need for China to do more to combat climate change.

Global warming is high on the agenda of the upcoming Group of Eight (G8) Summit, which is to take place in Heiligendamm, Germany, next week. President Hu Jintao will attend the outreach session of the annual summit.

"China, India and other developing countries are victims of the effects of climate change," Jiang said.

China's per capita gas emissions are less than one-third of that in developed countries, but "we have taken a positive attitude and attach importance to the issue and have taken effective means to reduce the impact of climate change," she added.

The keys to dealing with climate change are how the world implements the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol and holding international negotiations to reduce gas emissions on the basis of the "shared but different responsibilities", Jiang said.

China is ready to go along with the international community to actively seek approaches to dealing with the impact of climate change under the framework of sustainable development, she said.

Referring to a question about former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui's planned visit to Japan, which is due to start today, Jiang said the Chinese side had made a "solemn representation" to Japan.

"We strongly demand Japan attach importance to China's serious concern ... and not provide political stages to Taiwan independence forces," she said.

Jiang welcomed a move last week by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to resume China's rights as a member state, while allowing Taiwan to take part in the organization's activities as a non-sovereign region under the name of "Chinese Taipei".

"An overwhelming majority of the OIE members voted for the resolution. This shows that the international community at large supports the one-China policy," she said.

Jiang told reporters that Christopher Hill, the US representative to the Six-Party Talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, would arrive in Beijing today.

Hill was expected to discuss China-US relations and the international talks on Pyongyang's nuclear programs with his Chinese counterpart, Jiang said.

The talks have stalled since February over a financial dispute involving funds that have been frozen at a Macau bank.

(China Daily 05/30/2007 page3)