News Flash

China pushes for progress in climate talks

By Li Xing (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-12-06 23:56

Cancun, Mexico – China hopes that negotiators try to refrain from saying no and work on solutions to their differences, Xie Zhenhua, head of the Chinese delegation, said in a press conference.

“We need to take proactive attitudes to push for progress,” said Xie.

He said global effort to tackle climate change under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)constitutes three major building blocks.

First, the developed nations listed under the Annex 1 of the Kyoto Protocol stick to it and set greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets for the second period (from 2013 to 2018) of the Kyoto Protocol.

Second, the non-Annex 1 developed countries make comparable mitigation commitments with those of Annex 1 countries under the convention.

Third, developing countries lay down their voluntary GHG emission reduction targets utilizing their domestic resources, he said.

He urged that progress should especially be made in the area of fast-start finance. As it was spelled out in the Copenhagen Accord, a fast-start finance of $30 billion should be established under the convention to assist small island countries, least developed countries and other poor countries in adapting to the adverse impacts of climate change.

“The finance should be additional, adequate and transparent,” he said, adding that developed countries should honor their promise that they made during the Copenhagen climate change talks last year.

Most ministers arrived in Cancun over the weekend. Their role is to “provide guidance for the current climate talks in a political manner”, Xie said.

After Xie arrived in Cancun at noon on Saturday, he held eight bilateral and multilateral meetings with his counterparts. On Monday, 10 meeting were scheduled.