Beijing- Chinese leaders on Friday called for developed nations to take the lead on climate change and share technology to help developing nations to reduce carbon emissions.

Developed nations should "take responsibility and obligations in addressing climate change" and "alter their unsustainable way of life," Premier Wen Jiabao said in a speech at a UN-sponsored conference on climate change.

"As the global financial crisis spreads and worsens, and the world economy apparently slows down, the international community must not waver in its determination to tackle climate change," Wen said.

Zhang Ping, China's minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, said developed nations should transfer technology and provide financial support for developing nations to curb their carbon emissions.

Vijai Sharma, India's minister for the environment and forests, also urged developed nations to make environmental technology available to developing nations at low cost.

"It is critical that technology transfer does not result in an increase of energy costs and does not affect the ability of developing country citizens to improve their quality of life," Sharma was quoted as saying on the Chinese government's official website for the conference.

Wen said measures to address climate change must "narrow, but not widen, the gap between rich and poor" and "safeguard, rather than damage, justice and harmony in the international community".

He said China faced "unprecedented" difficulty in reducing carbon emissions but added that that the government always saw climate change as "very important."

"It took developed countries several decades to solve the problems of saving energy and reducing emissions, while China must solve the same problems in a much shorter period," Wen said.

He said China was confident of meeting its targets for 2010 of reducing energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20 per cent and emissions of major pollutants by 10 per cent from the 2005 levels.

The two-day conference, attended by delegates from about 100 nations, is focussing on development and transfer of related technology.

Zhang also urged the international community to set up a UN-linked fund to "stimulate the development and transfer of climate-friendly technology" between developed and developing nations.

"The transfer of technology to developing countries on favourable conditions is the obligation of developed countries," he told the official China Daily newspaper before the opening of the conference.

According to some estimates, China surpassed the United States last year as the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Partly in response to climate change, China is considering expanding its already huge nuclear power programme to develop a total generating capacity of 70 million kilowatts by 2020, 75 per cent higher than the target set in 2006, state media reported earlier this week. (dpa)