On Tuesday, Xie Zhenhua reiterated his country's support for a continuation of the Kyoto Protocol (KP).
However, the work on one strand – the continuation of the Kyoto protocol – is said to be close to completion.
So far, none have done so and some developing countries are insisting the EU should go it alone with a continuation of the Kyoto protocol.
With little time to go, negotiators still have to seal a continuation of the Kyoto protocol, and wrap up a separate negotiating track that involves non-Kyoto countries.
Connie Hedegarrd, the EU climate change commissioner, said she was prepared to offer developing countries the prize they had sought for many years – a continuation of the Kyoto protocol, the only treaty that commits rich countries to cut greenhouse gases.
This year, the EU came to the talks dangling an unexpected prize, with strings attached – a continuation of the Kyoto protocol, the world's only existing treaty that stipulates emissions cuts, when its current provisions expire in 2012.
The issues needing to be cleared away include the continuation of the Kyoto protocol beyond the end of this year when its current targets expire, and without which the developing countries will not sign up to a new deal.
Negotiations towards a new global treaty on climate change took a small step forward on Friday as the Australian government announced it would join up to a continuation of the Kyoto protocol beyond 2012.
In a recent interview with the Guardian recently, China's top climate change official, Xie Zhenhua, called on developing countries to take a greater part in the talks, while insisting that developed countries must sign up to a continuation of the Kyoto protocol – something only the European Union is willing to do.
