Zou Ji, a climate policy expert at the , told Reuters that the national program will probably set broad goals for coping with emissions and changing weather patterns.

It is likely to be released this year after at least two years of preparation, he said.

The planning effort demonstrates that China shares the deepening global alarm that greenhouse gases from factories, power plants and vehicles are lifting average temperatures and will seriously, perhaps calamitously, alter the world's climate, Zou said

"All this shows that the Chinese government is paying more and more attention to the issue," he said. "When it's approved and issued, it will be China's first official, comprehensive document on climate change."