US climate envoy meets Chinese officials on emission cuts

The US special envoy for climate change has met with top Chinese officials here, both sides said yesterday, as he tries to convince Beijing to commit to greenhouse gas emission cuts.

Todd Stern arrived on Sunday on a mission that he said would include pressing China to agree to hard numbers on emission reductions under the next Treaty on global warming, to be hammered out in Copenhagen in December.

In a meeting on Monday, Vice Premier Li Keqiang reiterated to Mr Stern that developing countries like China should be held to a different standard, according to a statement posted on the Chinese foreign ministry's website.

However, the statement gave no clues on whether some compromise might eventually be reached between the world's number one and two emitters of the gases blamed for raising the earth's temperature.

"China would like to maintain the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities', actively participate in negotiations and play a constructive role to promote positive results from the Copenhagen conference," Mr Li was quoted as saying.

AUS embassy official said Stern also met with China's National Development and Reform Commission deputy chief Xie Zhenhua, who heads climate change talks, but said he had no details of the meeting.

"China is making strides in clean energy technology," added the official.

"However, it will need to commit to more robust and quantifiable actions to put the world on a pathway to a clean-energy, low-carbon future."

More than 180 nations are working on a new climate treaty set for discussion in Copenhagen to cover the period after 2012, when the existing Kyoto Protocol expires.