As the week-long meeting of about 400 of the world's top scientists and experts began to look at how to combat global warming, a Chinese delegate called for the interests of poorer countries to be recognised.

"I hope this gathering can produce balanced views," Sun Guoshun, a division chief with the Chinese foreign affairs ministry's department of treaty and law, told AFP just before the official events got underway.

"It should not just (represent) the views of the developed countries, but also the views of the developing countries."

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change meeting began amid deep concerns over the exponential rise of China as a greenhouse gas polluter.

China could as soon as this year overtake the United States as the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for the dangerous warming of the planet, according to the International Energy Agency.

China has rejected any internationally binding caps on its emissions, saying the developed world is the major cause of the problem and that developing countries should be allowed to pursue similar economic growth models.

But Sun insisted that China was committed to reducing its emissions of greenhouse gases.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to addressing climate change," he said, highlighting Beijing's plan to improve energy efficiency by 20 percent from 2006 to 2010.

"That will be a very big challenge for the Chinese government to realise that objective. If that objective is realised, that is a great contribution that the Chinese government will make to climate change."

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