BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- 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.
"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.