The Chinese government attaches importance to the issue of climate change, a senior Chinese official said on Tuesday at an environment meeting held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"The Chinese government, while engaging to economic development, tries in a responsible way to change the economic growth pattern by adjusting economic structure and energy mix," said Zhou Jian, Vice Minister of China's State Environment Protection Administration at the 3rd ASEM Environment Ministers' Meeting.

Zhou Jian pointed out that climate change is a problem caused by economic development. Under the new circumstances, the Chinese government shifts the past development principle of "fast and healthy growth" to "healthy and fast growth," pays more attention to the equality of economic growth.

To the issue of energy and climate change of common concern, " the Chinese government has been in light of its own national conditions taking a series of policy measures aiming at win-win situation of the environment and developments so as to address the climate change," the vice minister said.

The two-day ASEM meeting, which ends Thursday, brings together 37 EU and Asian ministers and their delegations to discuss climate warming, sustainable energy, threats to biodiversity and deforestation.

No decisions were expected at the meeting, held ahead of the launch of UN negotiations at a climate change conference in Bali in December where the aim is to ensure a continuation of the Kyoto Protocol, which is due to expire in 2012.

(China Daily April 25, 2007)