The United Nations has praised China for its "continued strong leadership" for supporting an international agreement to stop climate change.

The group of 20 rich and developing nations led by China has released a statement earlier this week after meeting in Guangzhou to support the Paris climate agreement. It also committed to ensuring that local measures are implemented "with a view to bringing the Paris Agreement into force as early as possible."

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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was "encouraged by the strong political momentum" over the Paris climate accord, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.

The support given by the G20 members, particularly by China and the United States, the top two leading carbon polluters in the world, plays a crucial role in making the agreement effective.

Earlier this month, China and the United States released a joint statement confirming that they will formally participate in the Paris agreement, which will be signed at a ceremony in the UN Headquarters in New York on April 22.

Leaders from nearly 200 countries created the agreement that aim to change the fossil fuel-driven economy of the world. The accord needs at least 55 countries to represent 55 percent of the total global emissions before it can be fully implemented.

Calling it "ambitious and balanced," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that the agreement would represent a "historic turning point" in efforts curb the potentially tragic upshot of an overheated world.

"It is a victory for all of the planet and for future generations," US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

TagsUnited Nations, china, United States, Paris Climate Change Agreement, Climate Change, environmental concerns