Reasons Behind China's Stance

By staff reporter TANG SHUBIAO

The New York Times reported on November 23 that senior Chinese official Xie Zhenhua said the climate talks in Cancun would succeed only if the West agreed to transfer technology to developing countries like China. The position reflects the long-standing position of China and other developing countries, that they are largely not responsible for climate change, which they say was caused by decades of western pollution; thus the leading role in reversing it should not be theirs. The comments stated forcefully by China’s chief climate officials underscored the challenge still facing negotiators in Cancun as they try to reconcile the positions of the two camps.

The report is just one of the latest criticisms from international media on China’s attitude towards the issue of tackling climate change. China has been subjected to constant misunderstandings and criticisms in this regard. The fundamental reason is probably that some foreign media don’t really get why China always sticks to its stance.

They see that during the course of China’s negotiations and cooperation with the international community, it adheres to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Convention), the Kyoto Protocol (Protocol), the Bali Roadmap and the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” and it insists on its status of being a developing country. But what are the reasons behind China’s insistence?

In fact, some documents of the Chinese government and senior officials in charge of climate issues Xie Zhenhua and Su Wei have told the reasons for many times at different occasions.

The Convention, the Protocol and the Bali Roadmap

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) released China’s Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change 2010 Report in November before the Cancun Conference.

The report points out that the Convention and the Protocol are the basic framework and legal foundation of international cooperation in responding to climate change and reflect the consensus of the international community; also they are the basis and guide to action according to the Bali Roadmap. The Bali Roadmap requires that the emission reduction targets of developed nations that are parties to the Protocol for the Second Commitment Period should be determined and the issues of mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and financial support should be tackled to ensure a sound, effective and sustainable implementation of the Convention and the Protocol.

Xie Zhenhua, vice-minister of the NDRC, also shares his analysis: “International negotiations on climate change have lasted for more than two decades and yielded fruits such as the Convention, the Protocol, the Bali Roadmap and the Copenhagen Accord under a joint effort. The agreements are of historic significance and we need to adhere to them and continue to seek progress.”

“Furthermore, to achieve the goal of limiting global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius, as set by the Copenhagen Accord, every country should make its due contribution. Based on the stipulations of the Convention, the Protocol and the Bali Roadmap, developed countries should take a leading role in reducing emissions substantially and leave room for developing countries to grow,” Xie adds.

Su Wei, director of the Department of Climate Change under the NDRC, recalls the birth of those documents: “In 1990 the UN General Assembly decided to establish the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the UNFCCC; two years later in 1992 the Convention was produced and it entered into force in 1994; in 1997 the Protocol was adopted and it entered into force in 2005; in 2007 the Bali Roadmap was adopted to give the mandate to the implementation of the Convention and the Protocol, and the Copenhagen Accord was achieved last year. The whole process has witnessed the international community’s increasing mutual understanding, expanding consensus and deepening cooperation.”

Su also suggests that developed nations that are not parties to the Protocol but also big carbon dioxide emitters like the U.S. should make their reduction commitments comparable to other developed countries under the framework of the Convention.

Principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities

Xie Zhenhua points out that, based on the Convention and the Protocol, the Bali Roadmap, the Copenhagen Accord and the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities,” developed countries should take the lead in emission reductions because they discharged large quantities of greenhouse gases in the past two centuries and their per-capita emission levels are still very high. But China will also adopt policies and measures to control greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time guaranteeing its sustainable development. In a word, to push forward to combat the climate change, all parties should make joint efforts, take due obligations and strengthen cooperation.

Xie holds that countries with different national conditions will inevitably face difficulties that affect their development during the course of tackling climate change. However, according to the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities,” no country is allowed to slow down or hamper the progress of addressing climate change for political or economic reasons. China still hopes that countries can overcome their difficulties and, hand in hand, take effective action.

Regarding the argument about how much developed countries should reduce their emissions, Xie says that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) advises that developed countries should reduce emissions by 25 to 40 percent by 2020 based on the 1990 levels. Most developing countries hope that developed countries cut emissions by over 40 percent. Based on the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities,” developing countries are allowed to give priority to their growth, with an understandable climb in their emissions in the near future, but at the same time they should explore a low-carbon path with the financial and technical help of developed countries.

It depends on developed countries to take the lead in cutting their greenhouse gas emissions to achieve an earlier global emissions peak. China, as a developing country, has begun to take measures to achieve this goal. China has not practiced unlimited emission, as done by developed countries, in its industrialization and urbanization. Instead, it is trying its best to curb the growth rate of carbon dioxide emission, so as to achieve global emissions peak as early as possible.