Beijing - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday urged China to become a role model for developing nations in responding to climate change by promoting clean energy and investing in "green" economic growth. Ban made his comments in a speech before meetings with President Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders.
"China has long been the world's fastest-growing major economy," he said. "It is also a leading emitter of greenhouse gases, and it is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change."
Ban's warning was issued at the launch of a project to promote energy-saving lighting, which the government said could cut energy consumption by 8 per cent.
"China's progress on achieving sustainable economic and energy policies simultaneously is crucial not just for the citizens of China but also for the citizens of the world," he said.
Ban later discussed climate change and other international issues with Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. He was scheduled to meet Hu later in the day.
China's Foreign Affairs Ministry quoted Yang as telling Ban that China favours multilateralism and supports a central role for the United Nations in responding to the global financial crisis, especially in representing the interests of developing nations.
Ban praised China's "active and constructive role" in international and regional affairs, the ministry said.
He said the United Nations wanted closer cooperation with China on such global issues as climate change, food security and "protecting global peace and stability."
In his earlier speech, Ban said China had an "opportunity to leapfrog over decades of traditional development based on high polluting fuels" and could "reap the rewards" of environmentally friendly economic growth in both its own society and the global marketplace.
"China can be a model not only for developing nations, but for the whole world," he said.
Ban has made climate change a priority for UN programmes this year.
Government leaders are due to meet in Copenhagen December 7-18 to try to reach a new agreement that would replace the Kyoto Protocol and regulate carbon emissions, which cause global warming. The current protocol expires in 2012.
"Without China, there can be no success this year on a new global climate framework," Ban said Friday.
"But with China, there is an enormous potential for the world to seal a deal in Copenhagen," he said.
Ban arrived in China late Thursday. He was scheduled to travel Saturday to the north-western city of Xian, an ancient Chinese capital now best known for its terracotta warriors.
He plans to visit Mongolia Sunday, where he is to meet Mongolian leaders and address the challenges of climate change and adaptation in land-locked nations.
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