China's clarifies its climate commitment

Copenhagen: Voiced by the highest official yet at the Copenhagen COP15 Climate Change Conference, the message by Mr. He Yafei, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China, rings loud and clear for many around the world.

Yafei did not mince his word: “It’s time to deliver!” and repeated from the beginning of his comments to his concluding remarks that the developed countries bear “historical responsibility” and are under “legal obligation” to abide by previous agreements to curb climate change. He hailed the EU for already meeting requirements, and insinuated that the other developed countries, referring to the United States of America , had not yet signed the Kyoto Protocol (1997) or implemented the Bali Action Plan (2007).

The COP15 is about the implementation of these international and legally-binding accords. China has assumed a leading position among developing countries and is in Copenhagen to make COP15 a success – a goal which the Vice Foreign Minister said China would pursue via three elements:

1) reflect the common aspirations of the world as a whole, including the worries of both developing and developed countries;

2)developed countries should undertake substantial mid-term target, and fulfill the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) commitments to developing countries, including development funding and technology transfer;

3)reduce poverty via economic development; not sign another agreement at the expense of developing countries.

China is indeed a rising and growing economy with global outreach, but Mr. Yafei clarified that his country was still not a developed country, and thus not required to fulfill the obligations that apply to “Annex I” countries – essentially the industrialized Western world.

Mr. Yafei asserted that “history is a mirror” and that just as the Western world went through industrialization, so China is in the middle of that process; and with industrialization come carbon emissions. China maintains that it is abiding to the previously signed agreements and is doing even more than the developed countries.

During their 11th five-year plan, China has already reduced carbon emissions by 18-20% per unit GDP between 2005 and 2010. Developed countries reduced carbon emissions by 26% per unit GDP between 1990 and 2005. China is committed to reducing to 40-45% by 2020; the U.S. to 30-40% during the same period.

China is not asking for “donations” or “charity”, but claims that the developed nations are legally-bound by the Bali Action Plan to deliver financial assistance and technology to developing countries. Mr. Yafei was “shocked” by the statements from U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change, Todd Stern, who said no money would go to China .

Mr. Yafei’s dismay led him to say Mr. Stern “lacks common sense”, is “extremely irresponsible”, and recommends he read the joint statement between China and the United States reached during President Obama’s visit last month, which commits both “to strengthen cooperation in promoting clean air, water, transportation, electricity, and resource conservation.” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/us-china-joint-statement)

As the two largest greenhouse gas emitters, US-China relations are in the spotlight at COP15. The United States would like to monitor Chinese emissions cuts, while China refuses to have international monitors, but agrees to form a national monitoring team, based on a legal domestic guarantee, to increase transparency by announcing results in reports.

Mr. Yafei emphasized that the monitoring issue was a “matter of principle” and referred to the Bali Action Plan again as accepted by all parties, including the United States , and insinuated that all parties should therefore have their emissions monitored.

In previous remarks this past week, Mr. Su Wei, Deputy Head of the Chinese Delegation, and Chief Negotiator of China on Climate Change also mentioned turning words into actions, referred to historical responsibility, to implement the Kyoto Protocol and Bali Road Map, and said with a smile that Obama’s Nobel Peace Award brought “good news and hope.”

China ’s commitment to combat climate change is unconditional and voluntary, Mr. Yafei stated and said that China’s contribution would be no less than developed countries and that its efforts would be hand-in-hand with full legal domestic guarantee and would go ahead with or without external assistance.

Not all developing countries can substantiate such proud statements, but China does have the fastest growing economy in the world. China does recognize that its economy is too coal dependent and claims that its environmental efforts will continue beyond 2020 to comprise reforestation projects and renewable energy initiatives in wind, solar and nuclear sources.

In response to the European Council pledge on 10/11 December 2009 of 2.4 billion euros annually from 2010 to 2012 to developing countries, Mr. Yafei said China “doubts the sincerity of developed countries’ commitments”. He clarified that the most vulnerable places on earth – the small island countries – would need some $20 billion alone.

Stuart Reigeluth is the editor of www.revolve-magazine.com