HONG KONG » New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has praised Chinese cities for taking part in a climate change coalition that he is set to lead, saying he is heartened that they are no longer blinded by the pursuit of economic growth.

Bloomberg is scheduled to take over as chairman of the C40 group of cities from Toronto Mayor David Miller during a two-day meeting in Hong Kong. On Friday, he took part in a panel discussion with Miller and the mayors or deputy mayors of the Chinese cities Changsha, Shenzhen and Kunming, and the leader of Johannesburg.

Asked what impressed him most about the discussion, Bloomberg told reporters: “I think the most impressive thing this morning was that they were there. Ten years ago, they would not have been there.”