China has joined more than 190 other nations attending the opening day of UN climate talks in Cancun, Mexico.

The two-week conference aims to tackle a range of issues dividing developed and developing economies. Around 15-thousand government delegates, environmentalists, business leaders, journalists and others are attending the meeting.

China's chief climate negotiator, Xie Zhenhua, stressed China will play a constructive role at the conference. He added that the meeting should uphold the principle of "common, but differentiated responsibilities" and developed countries should shoulder the responsibility for their cumulative emissions.