China called Tuesday on countries that have not yet approved the United Nations Kyoto Protocol on global warming to do so as soon as possible.
“We call on the countries that have not signed the protocol or approved the protocol to approve it as soon as possible,” foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular briefing.
Liu made the remark the day after the opening of a 12-day gathering on the Kyoto Protocol in Montreal, Canada.
He did not mention any countries by name in his call for speedy approval of the protocol.
Opposition to the protocol is widely associated with the US government, which demands emissions should be tackled by a voluntary approach, rather than by a legal cap, as is the case with Kyoto’s present format.
“We should make efforts to ensure sustainable development and effective environmental protection. The Kyoto Protocol has played an important role in this field,” Liu told the briefing.
China is a member of the Kyoto Protocol, the world’s most far-reaching environmental treaty, but with a developing country tag it does not have to meet specific targets for cutting emissions.
