upheld as the core mechanism and main channel for addressing climate change, and the principle established in the Convention should be taken as the guiding principle for addressing climate change.

Fourth, promote scientific and technological innovation. Science and technology are important means for tackling climate change. We should raise the capacity for and level of scientific and technological innovation and follow a path of development which is hi-tech driven, produces sound economic returns, low in consumption of resources and causes low pollution to the environment. This is the only way to ensure balanced progress in economic development and environmental protection and achieve sustainability. We should step up research and development as well as the application of energy-efficient technologies, environmental protection technologies and low carbon energy technologies, increase capital investment in these areas, and boost technological cooperation and transfer of technologies. We should intensify personnel training, improve protection of intellectual property rights, bring into full play the initiatives of all parties and raise our overall capacity to jointly address climate change.

Forest protection has an important role to play in addressing climate change. From 1980 to 2005, China made tremendous efforts to carry out afforestation and strengthen the rehabilitation and management of forests and it has developed expertise in this respect. We are ready to share such expertise with other APEC members. I propose the Asia-Pacific Network on Forest Rehabilitation and Sustainable Management be set up. This will provide a platform for APEC members to share best practices, conduct policy dialogue, carry out personnel training on forest rehabilitation and management, and work together to promote rehabilitation and growth of forests, increase carbon sink and mitigate climate change in the Asia-Pacific region. We welcome other APEC members to join this network.

Dear colleagues,

China has always taken climate change very seriously. We have set up the National Leading Group on Addressing Climate Change, enacted a series of laws and regulations, and formulated the National Program on Addressing Climate Change. We have contributed our share to mitigating global greenhouse gas emissions by taking a series of policy measures, including adjusting the economic structure, improving energy mix, raising energy efficiency, carrying out afforestation and practicing family planning. Between 1991 and 2005, the total energy saved in China amounted to 800 million tons of standard coal, equivalent to 1.8 billion tons of CO2 emission reduction. Thanks to the policy of family planning China has pursued since the 1970s, its population growth has been lowered by more than 300 million, equivalent to 1.2 billion tons of annual CO2 emission reduction.

China is still a developing country with a large population and relatively low level of economic development. China’s energy demand is expected to increase owing to accelerated industrialization and urbanization as well as rising standard of living. China is confronted with a huge challenge in tackling climate change, as its main source of energy is coal and its industrial structure is not balanced. We will fully implement the National Program on Addressing Climate Change and endeavor to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen our capacity to adapt to climate change as we pursue economic development. China has set the targets of reducing energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent and discharge of main pollutants by 10 percent and raising forest coverage from 18.2 percent to 20 percent between the end of 2005 and 2010. To effectively tackle climate change, China follows the scientific thinking on development, takes resource conservation and environmental protection as a basic state policy, gives high priority to achieving harmonious development of man and nature, and works to strike a balance among economic growth, population, resources and the environment. We are pursuing a sound development strategy that promotes production, makes life better for the people and protects the environment. We have taken sustainable development as an important objective for China’s economic and social development and incorporated policies to mitigate and adapt to climate change into the national plan for economic and social development so as to tackle climate change in a coordinated and holistic manner. We will give full play to the leading and basic role of scientific and technological innovation in mitigating and adapting to climate change, strengthen capacity for independent innovation, and vigorously develop new and renewable energies, energy efficient technologies, carbon absorption technologies and various adaptation technologies. We will launch a nationwide publicity campaign on climate change to raise public awareness of energy efficiency and emission reduction, and encourage everyone to take action to help mitigate and adapt to climate change. China will continue to advance and involve itself in international cooperation on climate change. We will take an active part in negotiation within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the activities of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change, and promote international cooperation on the clean development mechanism and technology transfer. We are involved in the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate and other mechanisms and support them in playing a necessary supplementary role.

In short, we are committed to working with you to build a clean, harmonious and dynamic Asia-Pacific region and ensure its sustainable future.

Thank you.

(Source: www.fmprc.gov.cn)