China seen looking to bigger climate change steps

China appears committed to stronger steps to contain swelling greenhouse gas emissions, the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said after meetings in Beijing, urging practical hopes of climate treaty negotiations.

Mr Blair said that his talks with Premier Wen Jiabao indicated that climate change had moved closer to the heart of Chinese policy-setting.

China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases from human activity, is starting to explore goals for its next five-year development plan starting from 2011. Blair said China was likely to adopt stronger measures to rein in emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas from burning fossil fuel.

"I think the single most important thing is to understand that in its development plans - in other words, how the Chinese economy grows over the coming years - low-carbon growth is at the heart of those plans," according to Mr Blair.

The former British leader's comments add to recent signs that Beijing wants to seize some initiative in negotiations for a new global climate change treaty. With its fast-rising greenhouse gas emissions, China's stance will be crucial in efforts to create a successor to the current Kyoto Protocol, which expires at the end of 2012.