US will not seek cap on emissions

The US is not pursuing a mandatory cap on greenhouse gas emissions from China, US climate change envoy Todd Stern said yesterday in Beijing.

"We don't expect China to take a national cap at this stage," Stern said, adding that what China had already done - the 20 percent energy efficiency target it set within the current five-year plan, its renewable energy initiatives and nuclear power targets - was "very impressive".

What the US is expecting from China is its continued effort in the next five-year plan and after, "so that China's emissions can grow slower and start to come down eventually," said Stern during an interview with China Daily at the close of his three-day visit to China.