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Int'l climate talks 'wrestle over economy'

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-24 15:35

China's top environment negotiator said Monday that the current global fight over climate change is in nature a multinational wrestling match on winning or maintaining each country's economic competitive edge or room for development.

The conflict between developed countries centers on economy, technology and global dominance whereas developing nations fight against restrictions on their developments, said Xie Zhenhua, vice minister in charge of China's National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planner.

"The conflicts are driven by commercial and political interests," Xie said in a report delivered at the 10th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

He also said that the ongoing international negotiations on climate change had not seen fundamental changes.

"Developed and developing countries are still the two major factions and the focus of disagreement remains on each country's proportion of responsibility for emission reduction, funding and technology transfer," said Xie.

"The target of attack is still the major emission economies," he said.

Developed countries widely emphasize climate problems while playing down the importance of economic development, Xie said. "They highlight common responsibilities but not differentiated responsibilities."

Xie said that developed countries also lowered the importance of adapting to climate change rather than slowing its pace. In terms of funding and technology transfer, they stressed market mechanism but lowered the responsibilities of governments.

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"They have talked much, but not done much," he said.

Developed nations require major developing economies to quantify their reduction of emissions, but they are blamed by the latter as the main party responsible for climate problems because of their unrestricted emissions in the course of industrialization and their per capita emissions that are still high today, said Xie.

Developing countries insist that developed ones take the lead in quantifying their reduction of emissions and honor their commitments to support the developing ones with fund and technology transfer, he said.

He said developing countries would then adopt policies and measures "tailored to national conditions" to reduce emissions "within the framework of sustainable development" and with funding and technology supports from developed nations.