BEIJING, Sept. 24 -- China reiterated its commitment to the common battle against climate change Tuesday, as the United Nations Climate Summit concluded in New York with an appeal for joint actions to address the global threat.

Convened by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and themed "Catalyzing Action," the one-day summit is to set the stage for a crucial conference in Paris in December 2015 aimed at finalizing a new global climate change pact.

During the meeting, delegates from more than 200 countries and international organizations, including over 120 heads of state or government, announced their commitment and national plans that will reduce emissions, enhance resistance to climate change, and mobilize financing for climate actions.

"Climate change threatens hard-won peace, prosperity, and opportunity for billions of people," Ban said during his opening remarks. "Today we must set the world on a new course."

Declaring climate change the defining issue of the time, Ban told the delegates, "We need all hands on deck."

"I am asking you to lead," Ban said. "We are not here to talk. We are here to make history."

Sam Kutesa, president of the UN General Assembly, highlighted the two objectives of the meeting -- to generate ambitious actions on cutting gas emissions, increasing resilience, and propelling the world toward a cleaner, greener economy, and to mobilize political will toward a meaningful, universal climate change agreement next year.

Climate change is a "potentially irreversible" threat that limits development options and efforts in eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development, he said.

CHINA'S RESOLVE TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

Speaking at the summit as Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli urged members of the international community to make concerted efforts so that the 2015 Paris conference will reach an agreement as scheduled.

"China attaches great importance to addressing climate change, and is ready to work with the international community to actively tackle the grave challenge of climate change," Zhang said.

As Xi has pointed out, responding to climate change is what China needs to do both to achieve sustainable development at home and to fulfill its international obligations as a responsible major country, he added.

"This is not at others' request but on our own initiative," said the vice premier.

According to Zhang, China was the first among developing countries to formulate and implement a national climate change program and has recently adopted a national plan to make sure that it will meet the target of cutting carbon intensity by 40 percent to 45 percent by 2020 from the 2005 level.

In 2013, carbon intensity in China was down by 28.5 percent from the 2005 level, which was equivalent to a reduction of 2.5 billion tons of CO2 emissions, the Chinese senior official added.

Noting that China is a developing country with 1.3 billion people and facing a daunting task of growing the economy, improving its people's well-being and protecting the environment, he said China will nonetheless make greater efforts to address climate change more effectively.

As a responsible major country, China will also take on international responsibilities that are commensurate with its national conditions, stage of development and actual capabilities, the presidential envoy said.

"We will announce post-2020 actions on climate change as soon as we can, which will bring about marked progress in reducing carbon intensity, increasing the share of non-fossil fuels and raising the forest stock," Zhang said.

He added that the action plan will also take the world's most populous and largest developing country to the peak of its total CO2 emissions as early as possible.

China is also dedicated to revolutionizing its energy production and consumption, establishing a carbon trading market at a faster pace, and blazing a path of sustainable development that leads to both economic growth and an effective response to climate change, Zhang said.