A senior Chinese official November 2 in Bonn called on the wealthy nations to ratify the Kyoto protocol "as soon as possible" and "without any new term".

At the UN Fifth session of the Conference of the Parties of Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP5), Liu Jiang, deputy chief of Chinese State Development Planning Commission, said the industrial nations should fulfil their commitment to reduce or restrict emissions of greenhouse gas, transfer technology and provide developing countries with financial helps as stipulated in Kyoto protocol.

The conference should seek all the meassures that accord with the different conditions of different country to tackle the climate change, Liu said.

The Kyoto protocol, passed by the COP3 in November 1997 in the Japanese city, has so far not been ratified by any industrial nation.

The protocol, which commits the wealthy nations to cut their overall emissions until 2012 by 5 percent compared to 1990 levels, will become international law only after it is ratified by at least 55 nations.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in an earlier letter to the conference that Kyoto protocol must go into effect before year 2002.

UN officials said the COP5 was aimed to make preparation for the next round, and crucial decisions would be left for COP6 scheduled for year 2000 in The Hague, the Netherlands, since most developed countries were unwilling to ratify the protocol.

At the minister-level negotiations of the conference, Liu also said few developed countries were "sincerely" ready to restrict their greenhouse emissions, while in most of them the emissions were rising.

Furthermore, most wealthy countries were unwilling to provide developing nations with technical and financial aid, Liu said.

Liu accused some developed countries of trying to commit the developing countries to cut the emissions of greenhouse gas.

Top tasks of the developing countries were to develop the economy and improve people's living standard, and they could not restrict emissions before they were able to afford any measures, he said.

China, as world's largest developing nation, was also unable to afford the commitment before its economy reaches the level of medium-developed country, said Liu.

China's ability to commit the Convention will be weakened unless the wealthy nations provide it with technical and financial help, Liu warned. (Xinhua)