China's President Hu Jintao will present China's new plans for tackling global warming at a United Nations summit on climate change later this month, the country's senior negotiator said on Tuesday.

He will make an important speech, Xie Zhenhua told reporters ahead of Hu's trip next week to the United Nations and the G20 summit of major rich and developing economies in Pittsburgh.

Hu will announce the next policies, measures and actions that China is going to take, added Xie, who steers China's climate policy as vice director of the powerful National Development and Reform Commission.

Xie said China will strengthen its policies and take on responsibilities in keeping with its level of development and practical capacities, but declined to give further details.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will host a special summit on September 22, to discuss climate change.

The head of the U.N.'s Environment Program has warned that if world leaders do not spur on negotiations, talks to agree a new climate pact in Copenhagen in December risk failure.

Xie reprised China's position that it is the responsibility of developed nations to lead the way in making big cuts to their own emissions and providing funding and technical support to developing nations to cope with climate change.

But he said the world's top greenhouse gas polluter -- measured on a yearly basis -- was aware of the need for rapid action. Rich countries have urged China to offer a firm timetable for controlling and eventually reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.

China has a deep appreciation of the importance and urgency of climate change, Xie told a briefing in the Chinese capital.

(Writing by Emma Graham-Harrison; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)