COPENHAGEN, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Progress has been made in the climate talks in Copenhagen but negotiators are still engaged in heated debate on some issues, the head of the Chinese delegation to the UN-led climate talks said on Monday.
Xie Zhenhua, vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, told reporters that at the start of the talks, the debate focused on what draft texts should serve as the basis for discussion after some unofficial texts of the draft was leaked.
In the end, the dual-track principle for talks under the Bali Road Map was upheld with the emergency of two draft texts proposed by the chairs of two major working groups of the UN Climate Change Conference, Xie said.
The two texts meet the requirements of the Bali Road Map in format, but "we are not fully satisfied with the texts," he said.
Many of the issues in the texts need further discussion and modification, and the ensuing substantial discussion on the texts would be very hard, given the differences in national interests and understandings of the Kyoto Protocol, he noted.
Many sticking points are yet to be resolved, such as the binding targets of emissions reduction for the United States, which is not a party to the Kyoto Protocol, he said.
Ministers arrived in Copenhagen over the weekend to work for consensus on the texts at a higher level of the two-week talks. More than 100 heads of state and government are expected to be arriving later in the week for a climate summit to endorse efforts to fight global warming.
U.S. unveils plan to promote clean technologies in developing countries
COPENHAGEN, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Monday announced a new plan to promote clean energy technologies in developing countries, despite its reluctance to make more concessions for a deal at the UN climate change conference.
"The program will accelerate deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies in developing countries, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fighting energy poverty and improving public health for the most vulnerable, particularly women and children," the United States said in a press release on the sidelines of the climate change conference. Full story
Extreme weather affects 55 million people in 2009
COPENHAGEN Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Extreme weather events affected 55 million people around the world in 2009, a disaster reduction agency said Monday.
At a joint press conference in Copenhagen, the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) said that although preliminary reports showed there were fewer natural disasters in 2009, the majority were weather-related. Full story
Failure in Copenhagen conference not an option: official
COPENHAGEN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China has great expectations for the Copenhagen climate change conference, which must be a success in order to launch measures to avoid calamitous global warming, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said on Sunday.
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Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei receives interview in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, Dec. 13, 2009. (Xinhua/Shang Jun)
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Government ministers were arriving in Copenhagen over the weekend to work for an agreement on two draft texts that emerged from a week of discussions at the UN climate talks amid expectations that negotiators from over 190 countries will seal a deal to fight climate change. Full story
Copenhagen rally calls for "real deal" on climate talks
COPENHAGEN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of climate activists from different countries rallied in central Copenhagen on Saturday to highlight the need for sealing a "real deal" in the UN-led climate change talks.
The rally came as ministers were arriving for the higher segment of the talks that are tasked with achieving goals to avoid irreversible change in climate that scientists warn could be disastrous to the Earth. Full story
Chinese FM discusses bilateral ties, Copenhagen conference with counterparts
BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi exchanged views with his counterparts from a number of other countries on the ongoing U.N. Climate Change Conference and bilateral relations during telephone conversations this week.
The countries included Indonesia, Sudan, Australia, Russia, the United States, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. Full story
China hopes to see positive results from Copenhagen conference
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese diplomat said on Friday that the current Copenhagen Conference "is an important meeting on climate change," and "the Chinese government hopes to see positive results from the conference."
Liu Zhenmin, the Chinese deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a group of UN-based Chinese and foreign reporters at the Chinese Mission that "the ongoing Copenhagen Conference is an important meeting on climate change. The international community is full of expectations." Full story
