China was warned of warmer weather, extreme climate events and severe droughts in the future in a white paper entitled "China's Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change" released on October 29.

"Extreme climate phenomena, such as high temperatures, heavy rain and snow and severe droughts, have increased in frequency and intensity," said the paper.

The average temperature of the Earth's surface in China rose by 1.1 degrees Celsius from 1908 to 2007, according to the white paper.

China has admitted that it is difficult to control greenhouse gas emissions because of the country's ongoing industrialization process and its coal-dominated energy mix.

"The coal-dominated energy mix cannot be substantially changed in the near future, thus making the control of greenhouse gas emissions rather difficult," the paper stated.

Foreign Help

Swiss biotech company Syngenta AG has opened the first foreign-funded crop research organization in China.

The Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd., at the Zhongguancun Life Science Park in Beijing, will focus on improving yields and drought-resistant capabilities of crops like corn and soy, as well as conversion to biofuels.

"China is increasingly recognized for the scale and caliber of its biotech expertise in agriculture," said Wang Xun, President of Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd.

Syngenta plans to invest $65 million in the new center over the next five years. The company is expanding its partnerships to contribute to further growth in Chinese agriculture with seed and crop protection technology, said David Lawrence, head of Syngenta's research and development.

Welfare Website

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has opened a social welfare website where the public can book places in care homes, ask questions and file complaints.