China will host an additional round of climate talks in October in Tianjin before UN members convene in Mexico's Cancun at the end of this year for a climate change summit, a senior UN official and a Chinese policy insider told China Daily.

"China's gesture is quite positive. China will introduce some new ideas and opportunities to move the negotiation forward," said Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) when he attended green events at the Expo 2010 Shanghai.

Steiner said that "by hosting a UN meeting, it doesn't mean China, as host government, will determine the negotiation results".

"However, as a UN member and host, China can make a "great difference" while UN committees and work groups prepare for the October event. "Fruitful results in Cancun rely on efforts from all members," Steiner said.

He Jiankun, vice-chairman of the China Experts Panel on Climate Change, confirmed to China Daily that Tianjin is set to host an extra session of UN climate talks in October and the additional meeting will be the last one leading up to the Cancun conference.

"The extra session was added as all believe more preparatory talks would help nations reach more agreements during the year-end negotiations, on which great hope is built," he said. The specific dates of the Tianjin conference are not finalized, he said.

Before the Tianjin meeting, UN members will also hold climate change talks in Bonn from 2 to 6 August. The Cancun conference will take place from 29 November to 10 December.