Washington  - Chinese President Hu Jintao said his country was determined to lower its burgeoning levels of greenhouse-gas emissions blamed for global warming, but tasked richer nations with helping the poor adapt without destroying their economies.

"China has taken and will continue to take determined and practical steps to tackle this challenge," Hu said during a one-day summit on climate change at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

"We should combine our efforts to address climate change with those to promote the growth of developing countries," said Hu, who is the first Chinese leader in 30 years to join the annual opening of the UN General Assembly.

How much wealthy countries should give developing nations to lower their own emissions has been a key disagreement as government negotiators try to hammer out a new global climate treaty by a UN summit in Copenhagen in December.

China has proposed that wealthy nations dedicate 1 per cent of their gross domestic product to helping developing countries tackle global warming. The measure has been rejected by the United States, which wants emerging economies like China to commit to hard targets for lowering their own emissions.

China said his country would work to slow the growth of its emissions by a "notable margin" by 2020. The Asian powerhouse would increase its share of renewable energy use to 15 per cent of the total by that year.

"China stands ready to join hands with all countries to build an even better future for the generations to come", Hu said.(dpa)