China’s special representative for climate change
talks, Yu Qingtai, urged the international community to conduct
substantive negotiations aimed at securing a new global post-2012 agreement on
climate change by 2009.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly debate on climate change, Yu said
that the Bali roadmap, adopted at the UN climate conference last
December by delegates from nearly 190 nations, is “only a beginning.”

“The international community must continue with the task of conducting
substantive consultations and negotiations, so as to insure a final
agreement on the post-2012 international cooperation on climate change
within the next two years,” he said.

Yu emphasized that any framework for future arrangements must be firmly
based on the principles established by the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, particularly the
principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

The four building blocks of the roadmap — mitigation, adaptation,
technology transfer and financing, are all important components for
developing an effective framework for responding to climate change, and should
be given equal attention, and none of them should be neglected, he
noted.

Urging developed countries to further strengthen policies and measures
aimed at emission reduction, the special envoy said the concerns by
developing countries over adaptation, technology transfer and financing
should be addressed in earnest, so that they will have the capacity to
make greater contributions to confronting the challenge from climate
change.

“The effectiveness of participation by the developing countries will,
to a significant extent, depend on whether the developed countries will
take substantive actions on financial and technological assistance,” he
said.

“Effective mechanisms should be set up as soon as possible to insure
that measurable, reportable and verifiable assistance be provided to the
developing countries with regard to financial resources, technology and
capacity building,” he said.

China takes climate change “very seriously” and have adopted various
policies and measures to respond to the challenge, with ” noticeable
success,” he said.

“While making our own due contribution, we will also help other
developing countries to enhance their ability to adapt to climate change,” Yu
added.

Representatives, including some 20 ministers, from more than 100
countries and international organizations attended the two-day high-level
session and exchanged views on ways to move forward the negotiating
process launched in the Bali conference