China says developed countries should help on climate change

China is still a developing country and shouldn’t be considered one of the developed countries that have the obligation to offer more financial support to other developing countries in tackling climate change, said Xie Zhenhua, China's special representative on climate change affairs.

Xie made the comment in a side event of the ongoing 24th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Katowice, Poland on Friday.

Some media reports and parties to the convention doubted China is a developing country and said the country should offer more financial support.

“On this, they fail to have a proper understanding of China’s national condition,” said Xie.

“China is still a developing country. It is the largest developing country in the world,” he said, noting that the per capita GDP of the country, which stands at about $8,800, is only 80 percent of the global average.

With a large poverty-stricken population, the country faces enormous challenges in developing its economy and eradicating poverty, he said.

As required by international conventions, including the 2015 Paris climate change agreement, it’s the obligation of developed countries to offer financial support for developing countries because of their historical responsibilities and their current capabilities. For developing countries like China, they could contribute based on their own accord, he noted.