China to work for balanced climate agreement at Paris summit

Beijing: China, the world's top polluter, will work with all parties to reach a balanced agreement at the Paris climate change conference later this month which will be a milestone in global climate governance, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said today.

The proposed agreement at the summit from November 30 is expected to be vigorous and to become a milestone for global climate governance, Zhang said here at an annual meet of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development.

China will actively promote international communication in the area and try hard to undertake its due international obligations, which are also part of the nation's efforts to promote green development and improve the environment, according to Zhang, the council's chairman.

China will reinforce the "battles against pollution of air, water and soil," carrying out a series of protection and restoration projects concerning the rivers, mountains, forests and lakes, he said.

It will optimise the exploitation of land resources, forcefully promote green and sustainable development featuring safe, clean, low-carbon and highly-effective energy and improve laws on environmental protection, Zhang said.

Last year, the US and China - the world's top carbon emitters - reached an agreement on climate change to take ambitious action to limit greenhouse gases and announced respective post-2020 goals of coping with?climate?change during President Barack Obama's visit here.

China is also part of the Brazil, South Africa, India, China (BASIC) group which has a coordinated stand on reaching a balanced agreement protecting the rights of the developing countries.