New Delhi, Dec 15: On a day when negotiations at Copenhagen were briefly stalled over the unwillingness of developed countries to discuss their previous commitments under Kyoto Protocol, China took the lead in stepping up pressure against the US and other Western powers with its Ambassador to India Zhang Yan calling for greater unity among developing countries amid what he termed as efforts to “split” this group.
“Currently the negotiation process (in Copenhagen) is going relatively slow. Frankly speaking, the reason mainly lies in the developed countries which are now going back on their positions on critical issues like mitigation, financial support and technology transfer.
This is not only incomprehensible and unacceptable but will also have a serious impact on the negotiation process and hinder the Copenhagen Conference from achieving positive results,” said Zhang in an interaction with reporters here.
Pointing out that India and China were on the same page on the issue of climate change, he said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines in Copenhagen before the summit meeting. This, he added, exemplified the close cooperation both sides have fostered on climate change. “In fact, I feel it is the highlight of our bilateral relations and I hope to see this momentum extend to other areas.”
Zhang took exception to remarks from US questioning the rationale for offering financial support to growing economies like China for adapting to climate change. “Providing financial support is their legal obligation (under Kyoto Protocol).
If they change their position or retreat from it, then it only shows that US and other Western countries don’t have the sincerity to fulfil their commitments. How the funds will be used is a matter to be worked out after the conference.”
Taking the argument further, he felt such statements could only be interpreted as a ploy to divide the developing countries. While he desisted from speculating on the final outcome of the conference, Zhang minced few words. “The developed countries are trying to split the developing countries. That is why it is important for developing countries to work together.”
It is important to note here that Brazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) have come up with their own draft at Copenhagen. While several developing countries have doubts with this draft, too, particularly the small island countries, Zhang insisted that the group was working for a “win-win” outcome at Copenhagen and was not unmindful to concerns of smaller countries.
“Basically, developing countries including small island countries have the same objective, it is just the matter of approach. But if we are divided by developed countries, then we reduce our own strength,” he stressed.
The underpinnings of China’s aggressiveness on the issue are largely economic. And here is where there is congruence with India as both countries look to accelerate economic growth. Zhang agrees and, in fact, had this telling one to offer: “Our (India and China) emissions can be called development emissions while those from the West are luxurious emissions.”
Zhang reeled out statistics to make the point that the West was responsible for 72 per cent of the total CO2 emissions from 1850 to 2005 and then 50 per cent of the emissions in 2006. “An empty talk about international cooperation or only talking about so-called shared responsibility, in disregard of historical responsibility and facts, can hardly convince the international community.”
Highlighting that developed countries have increased emissions when they needed to collectively reduce emissions by 5.2 per cent on 1990 levels according to the Kyoto Protocol, Zhang said: “Chinese people mean what they say, and do what they commit themselves to do. How developed countries fulfil their obligations for the first commitment period outlined in the Kyoto Protocol has a direct bearing on international action on the next period.”
–Agencies