Carbon market set to start in 2017

China is set to put its national carbon market into operation in 2017 through working with the European Union, the country's top climate change envoy said at the weekend.

Xie Zhenhua said, "In carbon trade, the EU is the teacher and China is a student."

China's special representative on climate change to the ongoing UN climate conference in Paris was speaking on the sidelines of an event on Saturday organized by the EU and attended by EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete.