BEIJING - A stronger partnership between China and Europe on innovative clean technologies is needed to make up for the imperfect UN forum on climate change, a senior Italian negotiator has said.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Corrado Clini, director general of the Italian ministry for the environment, land and sea, said Europe should grasp "the right time and maybe the last opportunity" to build a strong partnership with China, whose heavy investment in clean technologies and crucial role in cooperation will lead to a transformation of the global economy.

China faces strong pressures to meet demands from its fast economic growth, which will be fueled by energy consumption, Clini said, but at the same time, China is also leading the world in terms of its investment in innovative technologies for the generation and efficient use of energy, as well as the conservation of natural resources.