By Le Tian (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-22 09:17

Developed countries should continue to take the lead in reducing emissions after 2012 in dealing with the challenges of global warming, China's newly appointed special representative for climate change negotiations said on Friday.

The focal point of the international negotiations on climate change is currently on the arrangement of an international mechanism for tackling global warming after 2012, Ambassador Yu Qingtai said in Beijing on Friday.

"Considering global warming is a result of long-term emissions by industrialized countries and their greenhouse emissions are still on the rise now, the arrangement should define the obligations that developed countries should undertake in taking the lead on emission reduction and set reduction targets," Yu said.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN-sponsored Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012, are key guiding instruments for addressing global warming. China, as a developing country and a signatory of the protocol, believes post-Kyoto regulations should be part of the UN process.

Speaking of China's position in the international negotiations on climate change, Yu said China insists on international cooperation, pursuing sustainable development, upholding the UNFCCC as the core mechanism and promoting scientific and technological innovation.

"The government attaches great importance to climate change and has made a lot of efforts in this regard," Yu said, adding it will continue to make active efforts to deal with this global issue.

The government has set targets of reducing energy consumption per unit of the gross domestic product by 20 percent and discharges of main pollutants by 10 percent and raising forest coverage from 18.2 percent to 20 percent between the end of 2005 and 2010.

The State Council had set up a leading group for work on responding to climate change, headed by Premier Wen Jiabao.

In addition, the Foreign Ministry has established a leading group in charge of international work on climate change, headed by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. The group has two deputy heads, Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei and Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai.

"The move is not only a key step to implement our action plan to respond to climate change, but also shows the government's active participation in international cooperation on responding to climate change," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.