China to submit climate pledge to UN

China will submit its national pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2020 this week, according to local reports on Monday.

China is the world biggest emitter of GHG emissions and the country’s long anticipated commitments are crucial to the success of a global climate deal due to be agreed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in December.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is visiting Belgium and France this week with the climate pledges high on the agenda.

China is expected to submit its intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by Wednesday.

All UN member states are supposed to submit their pledges to cut emissions ahead of the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UNFCCC when a historic global deal to limit emissions is expected to be signed.

Li is expected to make a joint statement with representatives from the European Union on the importance of addressing climate change.

Earlier this month, China confirmed its GHG emissions will peak by 2030 and the government will also enhance energy efficiency measures and projects to reduce the level of CO2 per unit of GDP.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama reached a landmark agreement in November to set limits on carbon emissions.

Xi Jinping agreed to a date for peak CO2 emissions and also pledged to raise the share of zero-carbon energy to 20 per cent of the country's total.

President Barack Obama said the U.S would reduce its GHG emissions by more than a quarter by 2025.