About 3,000 delegates from party and observer countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol are attending the meeting on Oct. 4-9.
They are expected to discuss the negotiating text reached at the Bonn talks in August by the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention.
A draft proposal, by the Chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol, will also be tabled for discussion.
The two working groups have held three rounds of talks this year.
The Tianjin gathering is the final meeting before the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Cancun at the end of this year, and the first time that such formal meeting has been convened in China.
China’s State Councilor Dai Bingguo told the opening session of the meeting that China has always treated the climate change issues with great seriousness.
China will continue playing an active and constructive part in the climate talks, he said.
Dai suggested the negotiations should stick to the basic framework of the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol and the mandate of the Bali Roadmap and follow the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities".
The developed countries should set the targets to take the lead in reducing the greenhouse gases emissions and the arrangements should be made to provide adequate financial and technological support to developing countries, he said.
He also stressed China, as a country of 1.3 billion people with per capita GDP ranking about 100th in the world, faces serious task of growing the economy and improving people’s livelihood.
"At a stage of accelerated industrialization and urbanization, China’s energy demand will see further reasonable growth. Therefore, we face significant constraints in controlling greenhouse gases emissions," he said.