After reports that the delegation thought a climate accord was beyond reach, China's climate change ambassador has indicated there is hope for a deal. China no longer believes an agreement to tackle global warming, Reuters news bureau reported early Thursday morning.

An un-named official was cited suggesting "a short political declaration of some sort" was more likely to come out of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen.

China's Climate Change Ambassador Yu Qingtai has since rejected that as malevolent rumours.

"Copenhagen is too important to fail," he told Reuters.

Yu said he did not know where the rumour came from but assured that the Chinese delegation had not given up hope of an operational agreement.