China, US 'crucial for climate pact'

Lindstrom said he understands China needs to balance economic growth with environmental protection, noting that his country has experience that might support China.

Lindstrom said Sweden has some useful environmental technology but, more than that, it has developed a wide range of non-technical measures to fight global warming.

He said Sweden started introducing "a whole array of economic instruments" to make people aware of the real cost of energy back in 1973, when international oil supplies were threatened.

"These are not very hi-tech measures but ones that each nation has at its disposal," Lindstrom said.

The Swedish ambassador to China, Mikael Lindstrom said China is making "a very important contribution, more than many realize", referring to the country's goal of reducing energy consumption per GDP by 20 percent from the 2005 levels by 2010.

"But that's not enough", he said.