Developed countries must take major responsibility for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said yesterday in Beijing.

"The key issue in the current international negotiations on climate change is that developed countries must continue to take the lead in cutting emissions of greenhouse gases and take concrete measures as required by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol," Jiang said.

Her remarks came after she asked to comment on a recent report on global warming by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The UN report, compiled by 1,200 world-renowned scientists, said humans are "very likely" the cause of global warming.

"It should be noted that the climate change resulted from long-term emissions by developed countries, and developed countries have responsibilities that cannot be shirked," Jiang said.

She said most developing countries have very low emissions and thus small room for emissions cuts.

"China is willing, in accordance with its strategy of sustainable development, to make contributions within its capacity to deal with climate change," Jiang said.

She said China attaches great importance to environmental protection and has made notable achievements in reducing the spread of pollution.

The measures included adjusting the country's industrial and energy structures, planting more trees, controlling population growth and enacting laws on environmental protection.

China has set a goal to control emissions of greenhouse gases and achieve a 20 percent reduction in energy consumption per 10,000 yuan (US$1,289) of gross domestic product over a five-year planning period that began last March.