Although marked progress is still lacking at the ongoing UN climate change conference, China remains hopeful of reaching substantial achievements, said the head of the Chinese delegation on Sunday.

Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of China's National Development and Reform Commission, told Xinhua in an interview that although the first week did not see much progress, the conference has stuck to its direction.

"The Chinese delegation attends the conference with sincerity and expectation. We hope the conference can reach achievements on the basis of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, the Bali Roadmap and the Copenhagen Accord," he said.

On Monday, newly arrived government ministers will begin talks on specific actions to limit carbon emissions over the next decade, as the UN climate conference moves into its decisive final week.

If the ministers could make compromise while taking into account their respective country's fundamental interest, it is possible to make some progress on key issues, Xie said.

Xie has held bilateral negotiations with delegations of developing countries, the United States and European Union countries since he arrived in Cancun on Saturday.

He said it is possible for the parties to reach a consensus on financial support, technology transfer, adaptation, forestry protection and capacity building of developing countries.

On Japan's opposition to the continuation of the landmark Kyoto Protocol, Xie stressed the need to protect the fruit of 20-year negotiations.

"The Kyoto Protocol is a legally binding treaty. All the parties have made a historic contribution to the Kyoto Protocol. We hope the parties finish second commitment period negotiations and the Japanese government continues to play a role in promoting the Kyoto Protocol negotiations on the basis of its past contributions," he said.

Japan has opposed to renewing its carbon-cutting pledges when the Kyoto Protocol, the cornerstone UN pact on global warming, expires at the end of 2012.

Xie said China would continue to play an active and constructive role at the conference.

China proposed that signatories to the Kyoto Protocol make their promises in the second commitment period, while the United States makes comparable promise under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and developing countries make emission reduction pledge on their own will.

"The suggestion has won a lot of supports. We hope it can help us find a solution to the emission reduction issue," he said.

The Kyoto Protocol requires that developed countries slash their greenhouse gas emissions, but the United States has withdrawn from it.

China has contributed a great deal to the fight against climate change and announced at last year's Copenhagen conference that it would reduce the intensity of carbon emissions per unit of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 40-45 percent by 2020 from the 2005 level.

Xie said China will keep its promise. "We will stick to our promise. Only when the parties keep their promises and try to do more, they can make progress on the mitigation issue," he said.

China is expected to achieve at the end of this year its goal set in its 11th five-year plan of reducing energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent, said Xie.

The Cancun talks, scheduled for Nov. 29 to Dec. 10, has attracted about 25,000 participants from governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations and research institutions in almost 200 countries.

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