'China a facilitator of global sustainable development'

It is widely recognised that China has been offering its support to countries in need to promote global sustainable development, said Wu Hongbo, UN under-secretary general for economic and social affairs.

"When I was in Ethiopia for the third International Conference on Financing for Development, I saw China constructing a rail road in that land-locked country all the way to port of Djibouti," Xinhua quoted Wu as saying.

Wu said China has also been helping the country with several infrastructure projects such as construction of highway, wind power plants and also urban light rail, which have provided the country with fundamental support.

China is now currently undergoing industrial transformation with excess capacity, and thus there are plenty of opportunities emerging for China and other developing countries, especially countries in Africa, to cooperate to upgrade industrial levels.

Wu insisted that the momentum of south-south cooperation development remains strong. However, he said regardless of the success of south-south cooperation, developed countries still bear the main responsibility to help developing countries with their development.

"North-south cooperation is the mainstream of global partnerships today," he said.

China has been actively involved in global sustainable development effort, and has taken it as a serious obligation, according to Wu.

The report on China's Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (2000-2015) said the country has already met the UN goals of reducing the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds and reducing the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters.

"These are important indicators to measure development, and can also be counted as China's contributions to the international community on development," he said.

In accordance with China's INDC, an action plan submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the country said it aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 60 percent to 65 percent from the 2005 level by 2030.

"I think China has not only made its commitments to combating climate change, it has also taken actions to fulfill its promises," Wu said. "And I think this will promote the global negotiations on climate change."