Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Tuesday expounded on China's
position on the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) and climate change
at the ACD's sixth ministerial meeting.
In a speech delivered at the meeting, Yang said the ACD's goal
is to achieve peaceful, harmonious and common development in
Asia.
The ACD plays a positive role in raising the awareness of Asia's
integration, promoting political mutual trust and increasing
mutually beneficial cooperation, Yang said.
China supports the ACD in its efforts to promote pan-Asian
cooperation, including continuing to play its role in carrying out
dialogue and communication and striving to deepen cooperation in
such areas as poverty relief, agriculture, energy, information
technology, infrastructure, tourism, environment and education, he
said.
In this way, fuller play will be given to the complementarily
advantageous mechanisms for sub-regional cooperation in Asia, he
added.
China appreciates the proposals for enhancing information
technology cooperation in order to narrow the "digital divide"
between members and also favors the establishment of a high-level
research group which will put forward ideas and suggestions on
future development of the ACD, Yang said.
As an initiator of the ACD's agricultural cooperation, China
will continue to enhance such cooperation among its members, he
said.
On the issue of climate change, Yang said the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol have established
the basic principles for responding to climate change and that the
developed countries should continue to take the lead in cutting
emissions after 2012 and increase technology transfer to the
developing countries.
For a considerable long period of time to come, he said, the
developing countries will make their own contributions to efforts
to tackle climate change mainly through mapping out and carrying
out a strategy for sustainable development and participating in
international cooperation.
The Chinese government attaches great importance to the issue of
climate change and will honor its commitments under the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol, he
said.
China will, in accordance with its own sustainable development
strategy, strive to build an energy-saving and environment-friendly
society so as to contribute to efforts to tackle climate change,
Yang said.
During the meeting, the Chinese foreign minister also met with
heads of delegations from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and
Sri Lanka.
(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2007)
