China and Japan will help build a new framework to fight climate change after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, says a press communiqué issued yesterday by the first China-Japan high-level economic dialogue in Beijing.

The two countries have agreed to strengthen partnerships in energy conservation, environmental protection, food safety and protection of intellectual property rights.

They have pledged to work jointly to tackle global warming under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and want the post-Kyoto framework to be an effective mechanism of which all major economies should be a part exhibiting "responsible" attitudes, the communiqué says.

The two countries' pledge comes at a time when world leaders are meeting at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia.

Asserting that their economic ties were mutually beneficial, China and Japan agreed to promote their strategic relationship by pushing for greater cooperation in the field of energy - energy conservation and use of clean energy, environmental protection, and the protection of intellectual property rights, the communiqué says.

The two countries also agreed to solve issues of common concern, such as food safety and export of pumpkins and beef, mutton, venison to Japan, as well as rice exports to China, through technical negotiations by the end of next March.

China and Japan began their first high-level economic dialogue in Beijing on Saturday. Premier Wen Jiabao and then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe jointly launched the dialogue mechanism during Wen's visit to Japan in April.

Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan led the Chinese side to the dialogue, while Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura headed his country's delegation.

(China Daily December 4, 2007)