China is strengthening its efforts in combating climate change by participating actively in international projects, said an expert from the National Development and Reform Commission Thursday.

Jiang Kejun, a researcher with the Energy Research Institute of the commission, said at a conference on China and Climate Change that China regards such international cooperation frameworks as the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate (APCDC) as a good complementary to its participation in the Kyoto Protocol under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

China, the United States, Australia, Japan, India and the Republic of Korea signed an APCDC agreement in July which emphasizes limiting greenhouse gas emission through technological cooperation without setting a quota for each member's emission reduction.

As a signatory country of the Kyoto Protocol, China has been thirsty for advanced technologies to improve its energy efficiency and reduce its greenhouse gas emission, said Jiang.

According to him, China's current participation in the Kyoto Protocol is mainly in the Clean Development Mechanism, which allows developing countries to sell greenhouse gas emission quotas to developed countries.

As the top coal consumer of the world, China saw nearly 70 percent of its energy demand met by coal, emitting large a amount of pollutants such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

China and the European Union signed a declaration in September on climate change that emphasizes technological cooperation in such fields as advanced, near-zero emissions coal technology through carbon capture and storage and clean coal.

Jiang said that by promoting international technological cooperation, China expects more cooperation under the framework of the Kyoto Protocol.

(Xinhua News Agency November 4, 2005)