China's Environmental Protection Minister Chen Jining, left, meets the press on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, in Beijing, March 7, 2015. [Photo by Wang Jing/chinadaily.com.cn]

Environmental protection a 'key growth driver'

Environmental protection is an important growth driver for China and the demand for investment would be huge in the years to come, said Chen Jining.

He said total investment demand for environmental protection in China will be around 8 trillion yuan ($1.3 trillion) to 10 trillion yuan over the next few years.

Such investment provides "good" momentum for economic growth as it has no repeated construction and yields long-term returns, Chen said.

Currently the government funds accounted for 30 to 40 percent of the total input into environmental protection, said Chen, adding that social capital does not have full access to the market.

The ministry will seek to advance price reform to build a mechanism for measuring project returns and further ease market access by means such as public private partnership, the minister said.

Financing services will be improved, and regulation and oversight will be strengthened as well, he said.

The world's most populous country, China has been seeking a "difficult balance" between economic and social development and ecological and environmental protection.

Environmental deterioration is a blight on people's quality of life and a trouble that weighs on their hearts, Premier Li Keqiang said while delivering the annual government work report Thursday.

"We must fight it with all our might," the premier said.

Developed countries urged take lead in climate change

Developed countries should take the lead and offer more capital and technological assistance to developing countries amid the world's efforts to tackle climate change, said Chen Jinin.

We hope that parties attending the Paris climate conference later this year would respect the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and follow the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities to reach an agreement as soon as possible, said Chen.