China remains committed to fighting climate change: official

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China remains committed to fighting climate change: official

(Xinhua) 13:21, November 19, 2013

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WARSAW, Nov. 18 -- China would work hard to address climate change no matter how the global climate negotiations proceed, a senior Chinese official said Monday.

Xie Zhenhua, deputy head of China's National Development and Reform Commission, made the remarks on the sidelines of the ongoing annual UN climate change conference.

China's determination to address climate change would not change "no matter whether the multilateral process concludes early or late, proceeds fast or slow," Xie, also head of the Chinese delegation to the conference, told reporters.

He said China's climate change policy is not made because of "international pressure," but derives from the "inherent requirement of China's sustainable development."

"We would stick to such a path anyway," Xie added.

While some countries only started to reduce their carbon emission when their per capita carbon emission reaches 22 metric tons, China began to do so when this figure is about 6 metric tons, he said.

"This does not mean that we can still remarkably increase our carbon emission, but we hopes to transform the growth pattern of our economic development and step on a green growth path," Xie said.

Thousands of representatives from nearly 200 nations gathered in the Polish capital for the two-week conference, which started Monday to pave the way for a new global climate deal setting post-2020 targets on emission cuts.

（Editor：ZhangQian、Yao Chun）