Diplomats from developing countries on Sunday hailed China's efforts in tackling climate change and pushing the Copenhagen climate talks to bear fruit.

China played an important leading role in the Copenhagen conference, Nolana Ta Ama, dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Togo's ambassador to China, said on Sunday at a new year reception held by the Chinese Foreign Ministry for foreign diplomats and officials of international organizations.

Applauding China's positive contribution to the conference, he said its efforts fully proved that China was a responsible big country.

He said he was impressed by China's strong commitments on greenhouse gas emissions cut.

Diplomats agreed that the two week-long Copenhagen meeting, which concluded Saturday in the Danish capital after producing a non-legally binding document on climate change, was successful as a whole.

China maintained close coordination with all parties during the conference, they said, noting that it not only abided by principles but also showed flexibility.

Speaking out from a sense of justice for developing nations, China firmly safeguarded the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" and effectively defended the development rights of developing nations, the diplomats said.

They also spoke highly of China's efforts to build a resource efficient and environment-friendly society, saying that it made remarkable achievements in energy-saving and emission reduction.

China had set a good example for the international community in coping with climate change and promoting sustainable development, they noted.

(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2009)