China agrees to discuss binding emission cut after 2020, the head of the Chinese delegation to the Durban climate conference said on Sunday.
Xie Zhenhua said he is upbeat about the possibility of progress as talks enter a second week.
Chinese company Suntech won a Gigaton Award on Sunday for outstanding business leadership in carbon emissions reduction.
The Chinese delegation to the 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Sunday launched the first China pavilion in COP in Durban.
China's openness toward a legally binding climate deal that would come into effect after 2020 has given a boost to the ongoing climate change talks in Durban.
Mexico Monday expressed its support for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, calling for a binding treaty to be reached at the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban.
China will agree to participate in a legally binding treaty on climate change after 2020 under certain conditions, a senior Chinese official said here Monday.
Brazil, South Africa, India and China, known as "BASIC countries", remained united over major issues in relation to climate change.
China aims to reduce its carbon emissions for each unit of GDP by 17 percent by 2015 from 2010 levels, according to the blueprint.
The big challenge facing the ongoing global climate change talks in Durban is that the principles of the Kyoto Protocol should not be abandoned.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged world leaders to commit to the second period of Kyoto protocol in Durban.
Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) at the United Nation climate change conference on Thursday said it agreed with the European Union (EU) road map, but differed on the timeline.