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China expects positive outcome in Copenhagen

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-20 14:45

UNITED NATIONS: Chinese UN ambassador said here on Thursday that China hopes to see positive outcome from the upcoming UN Conference on Climate Change scheduled for December 7 in Copenhagen.

Addressing the informal meeting of the UN General Assembly on climate change, Zhang Yesui, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, said "the Chinese government also hopes the conference can produce positive results."

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He added that the upcoming Copenhagen conference will be "an important meeting of climate change, for which the international community has great expectations."

At the UN Summit on Climate Change which opened here on 22, Chinese President Hu Jintao dwelled on the Chinese government's stance on climate change, and announced relevant measures to be taken by the Chinese government in response to this issue, Zhang said.

In his address at the UN summit, President Hu said China will intensify efforts to conserve energy and improve energy efficiency and try to cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by a "notable margin" by 2020 from the 2005 level.

The Chinese president also said China will further integrate actions on climate change into its economic and social development plan.

"China will, as always, actively take part in the international negotiations and make its due contributions to promoting the international efforts to tackle climate change," Zhang said.

"We are convinced that the Copenhagen conference must adhere to the established framework and principles," Zhang said.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol should serve as the main channel for the international community to address climate change, he said.

"The principle of the Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) is the universally recognized basic norm for tackling the issue," he said.  "The Bali roadmap clearly identifies the requirement and direction for international cooperation on climate change."

These framework and principles are hard won and are the outcome of concerted efforts by all parties concerned, he said. "Efforts should be made to adhere to the framework and principles in order to pave the way for the success of the Copenhagen conference."

The Copenhagen conference must build upon and consolidate the consensuses reached so far by the international community, he said.

During the previous negotiations, thanks to the arduous efforts by all parties concerned, many important consensuses have been reached, including that the developed countries will make continuous efforts to reach the ambitious mid-term goals of cutting the emissions of greenhouse gas, and that that the developing countries, in accordance with their specific national conditions, will try their best to decrease such emissions with financial and technical support from the developed ones.

Also among the consensuses reached is that efforts should be made to set up an effective mechanism, through which the developed countries can render financial support to the developing ones, he said.

The effective mechanism should be put in place for the transfer of the environment- and climate-friendly techniques to the developing countries to enhance their capacity to deal with climate change, he said.

The international community should stick to the consensuses and work for greater achievements in the next phase, he said.

"The Copenhagen conference is only about 20 days away, so let's strengthen our confidence and cooperation and do the utmost to make the conference a success," he concluded.