BRISBANE, Australia - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Saturday praised China for its contribution to the global economy and for tackling climate change, saying China should be proud of what its government and people have achieved.

As the second-largest economy in the world, "the size of the Chinese economy and its contributions have global implications," said Ban at a press conference before G20 leaders begin their summit meeting.

He urged China to continue to play a role so that all global economies can integrate to reduce the inequalities between the developing and developed countries as well as among developing countries.

"I really appreciate China's contribution to South-South cooperation, particularly the agreement between China and the United States on very ambitious climate change target by 2020, which is a significant one," said the UN secretary general.

In a historic climate change deal signed on Wednesday in Beijing, China and the United States announced that both countries would curb their greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades.

Under the agreement, the United States would cut its 2005 level of carbon emissions by 26-28 percent below its 2005 level before 2025. China would peak its carbon emissions by 2030 and will also aim to get 20 percent of its energy from zero-carbon emission sources by the same year.

Ban also called on other leaders especially those from emerging economies and major economies to follow suit so that a meaningful global agreement on climate change could be reached by the end of December next year, the deadline for international community.

UN member states have pledged repeatedly to reach a global climate change agreement by December 2015 and great endeavors have been made to facilitate this process, Ban said.