China reiterates climate change principle of 'common but differentiated responsibility'

People Daily Online (China): To achieve equitable development globally, China adheres to a principle of "common but differentiated responsibility" on climate change, a senior official said here Saturday. Xie Zhenhua, vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), made the remarks at the International Cooperative Conference on Green Economy and Climate Change.

Xie's comments came a day after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that according to the principle of "common but differentiated responsibility," the international community should further clarify the mandatory reduction targets for developed countries and mitigation actions for developing nations. "Developed countries discharged a great amount of greenhouse gases during their industrialization in the previous two centuries. That is the main cause of global warming," said Xie, one of China's leading negotiators for climate change talks. "That's why they should take most of the responsibility to reduce carbon emissions."

Developed countries have already overused the earth's atmosphere for emissions, occupying what should be emission quotas for developing countries who are developing to meet their citizens' basic needs, he said. "Developing countries are now beginning to industrialize. It is unfair to limit their development," Xie added. Xie said developed countries should transfer environmentally friendly technologies to developing nations and increase their aid to poor nations….

Power lines in Shenzhen, shot by Typhoonchaser, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License