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)