Mr. President,

Achieving sustainable development is a major and urgent task facing all countries of the world. The Rio Declaration and Agenda 21 adopted by the 1992 Rio Conference have set forth the principles, goals and program of action for sustainable development. In 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development adopted the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and set specific objectives and measures in major areas such as poverty reduction, clean water and biodiversity. For nearly two decades, the international community and national governments have made unremitting efforts for the implementation of the Rio Declaration, Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, and have made important headway in the integrated development of population, resources and environment. Various forms of regional and bilateral cooperation in environment and development have continued to develop in depth. At the same time, however, we have to acknowledge that we have not yet turned the tide of global environmental degradation. While traditional problems such as hunger and poverty, waste of resources, water shortage and ecological degradation are far from being solved, non-traditional security problems of climate change, food security, energy security and contagious diseases that have arisen in recent years have brought about new challenges to sustainable development.

In the face of this situation, countries should reinforce their political will, shoulder their responsibilities and make common efforts under the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" to promote the realization of global goals of sustainable development. Since we are all in the same boat and thus should help each other, countries should set sight on their long-term interests and help the developing countries establish sound economic and industrial structures so as to promote common development and achieve win for all results. Input in the field of sustainable development should be viewed as our common investment in the future of mankind and we should put in place effective financial mechanisms and mechanisms for technological transfer so that results of scientific research can be widely applied to resource utilization, environmental protection and ecological work, thus benefiting the people of all countries.

China is a major force in pushing for sustainable development. Since the Rio Conference, China has been working vigorously to implement its strategy for sustainable development. We have formulated and improved numerous laws and regulations on environmental protection, natural resources management, disaster prevention and reduction and management of chemicals and waste. We have also worked hard to adjust our economic and industrial structures with a view to developing green economy. We have taken proactive actions to respond to climate change and set rigorous goals on green house gas emission control. We are actively engaged in multilateral and bilateral cooperation in the fields of the environment and sustainable development. We have joined and conscientiously implemented chemical related conventions such as the Rotterdam Convention, the Basel Convention and the Stockholm Convention and a series of conventions in the field of the environment, including UNFCCC and the Convention on Biodiversity.

With a large population, fragile ecological environment and uneven economic development among different regions, China faces daunting challenges and difficulties in realizing sustainable development. We will work tirelessly, strengthen cooperation with other countries and make our contributions to the achievement of sustainable development.

Thank you, Mr. President.