BEIJING - China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Thursday urged the international community to abide by five principles in achieving global sustainable development.

The five principles follow the spirit and principles set forth in the Rio Declaration, particularly the principles of "common but differentiated responsibilities; advancing sustainable development in a balanced manner in the areas of economy, society and environment; respecting the independent choices of countries regarding sustainable development; upholding the principle of building broad partnerships; and paying particular attention to meeting the concerns of developing countries.

Yang made the appeal at the opening ceremony of a high-level symposium on the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), which opened in Beijing on Thursday.

The UNCSD, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next year, is much more than a commemoration of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio in 1992, it presents an important opportunity for the international community to map out a global strategy for sustainable development, Yang said.

The symposium, scheduled for Sept 8-9 in Beijing, is intended to offer a platform for thorough and in-depth discussions on the two main themes and the objective of next year's Rio summit, the foreign minister said.

The two main themes are green economy and institutional framework for sustainable development. Green economy focuses on sustainable development in the context of poverty eradication, and institutional framework for sustainable development will address global governance issues.

The symposium drew about 180 participants from about 30 countries, over 10 international organizations and academic institutions.