He said that he was told by Xie Zhenhua, Vice-Chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission, about political agreement to pursue common goals.

'China's representative expressed an outspoken wish to co-operate with the EU. Certainly, it is not an expert level, but it is China's political agreement to work in order to pursue common goals, to mitigate climate change,' he said.

'It is a huge challenge, but the fact that China's representative came to Lithuania directly from the US where he also spoke about climate change, proves that there is a wish to pursue common goals,' Mazuronis indicated.

The meeting was held on the eve of the Informal European Union Council of Environment Ministers, which is held in Vilnius on 16-17 July.

According to the Minister, China's wish to co-operate was also proved by the fact that the country was now discussing efforts to mitigate climate change with various countries although it was not a party to the Kyoto Protocol. Primarily, it was necessary to reach an agreement within the EU, where the contrasting opinions still prevailed, he said.

China accounts for approximately 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the EU accounts for around 12 per cent.