During the visit, Sun Laiyan, administrator of the China National Space Administration, and Griffin agreed to a Chinese four-point proposal to boost cooperation.

China has always supported the peaceful use of space and stands against any weapons in space, Jiang said, responding to a question on China's recent anti-satellite space test.

Following the test, the US has announced it intends to rethink any future possible space cooperation with China.

Relatively low defense spending

Jiang stated that China's defense expenditure is "relatively low" when compared with other countries.

"Compared with other countries, China's defense expenditure remains at a relatively low level in the world regarding its total amount, its ratio in GNP and per capita expenditure," she said.

"The Chinese government has always attached importance to controlling the scale of its defense expenditure," she noted.

China's defense expenditure in 2004 stood at 220 billion yuan (US$28.3 billion), an annual growth of 15.31 percent. This increase was matched by a 12.5 percent rise in 2005 to reach 247.49 billion yuan (US$31.9 billion) with the total 2006 budget reaching 283.83 billion yuan (US$36.6 billion).

According to a White Paper on China's National Defense issued at the end of 2006, China's defense expenditure in 2005 equaled 6.19 percent of that of the US, 52.95 percent of the UK's, 67.52 percent of Japan's and 71.45 percent of France's.

Costs per unit were also compared with China's spending per serviceman averaging 107,607 yuan (US$13,872), amounting to 3.74 percent as compared to the US and 7.07 percent of Japan's expenditure, the white paper revealed.

Cutting greenhouse gases

Jiang said that developed countries must lead the way in the slashing of greenhouse gas emissions.

Commenting on a recent report on global warming issued by UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, she said: "The key issue of the current international negotiations on climate change is that developed countries must continue to take the lead in cutting emission of greenhouse gases and take concrete measures in this regard, as required by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol."

The UN report, compiled from research by over 1,200 world-renowned scientists, says ever-increasing droughts, heat waves, torrential rains and a slow rise in sea levels could last for over 1,000 years.

The "very likely" involvement of humans, resulting from the burning of fossil fuels, stands at a 90 percent certainty, says the report.

"It should be noted that the climate change is resulted from the long-time emissions by developed countries in history and local high per capita emissions, and developed countries have the responsibilities that can not be shirked for it," Jiang said.

She said developing countries have very low emissions, leaving little room for emission cuts.

"China is willing, in accordance with its strategy of sustainable development, to make contributions within its capacity to the solutions of climate change," she added.

Jiang said the Chinese government attaches great importance to environmental protection and has made it a fundamental national policy, adding in recent years China has taken a series of effective measures in protecting environment and made notable achievements.

The measures included adjusting the structures of industries and energy, planting more trees, controlling growth of population, making laws on environmental protection, and popularizing knowledge of environmental protection.

In its 11th five-year plan issued last March, China set lofty goals in controlling emissions of greenhouse gases and reducing reduction in energy consumption by 20 percent per 10,000 yuan (US$1,289) of GDP in the 2006-10 period.

In a major step in the country's fight to lower emissions, on January 29, Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan announced the closure of small power-generating units reaching an annual capacity of 50 million kilowatts over the next four years.

Small power-generating units nationwide consume 400 million tons of coal while releasing 5.4 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere for a production total of 115 million kilowatts a year.

"These goals are very challenging, but China is willing to strengthen cooperation with the international community to realize them, in a bid to make new contribution to international climate change," said Jiang.

She said China considers both the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol as an effective legal framework to guide climate change efforts by the for international community, adding that the world should deepen cooperation under this framework.

In responding to whether China will support the creation of a new UN environmental body against global warming as suggested by French President Jacques Chirac, Jiang said China supports international cooperation on environmental protection and related multi-lateral mechanisms to this end.

"China holds that the international community should study on related suggestions to form a plan that is acceptable to all sides," she noted.

(Source: China Daily, Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2007)