China vows to control emissions over next 5 years
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China Tuesday underlined its position on climate change for the upcoming Cancun Conference, vowing to "effectively control" greenhouse gas emissions over the next five years.
China's pledge came in its "Annual Report on Policies and Actions to Address Climate Change," which was published by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) Tuesday, one week ahead of the the United Nations' Cancun Conference.
According to the report, reductions in energy consumption and carbon-dioxide emission intensity will be binding targets for China over the period.
In Nov. 2009, China promised to reduce carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels.
"China opposes any draft that has not been fully discussed or recognized by member countries as the basis for negotiation at the upcoming Cancun Conference in Mexico," said the report.
Xie Zhenhua, NDRC deputy director, told a press conference the Cancun Conference should proceed with climate talks according to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and the Bali Roadmap while upholding the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities."
Xie, a member of the Chinese delegation to Cancun, said it is likely China has cut emissions of carbon dioxide by about 1.5 billion tonnes because of energy-saving and emission-reduction measures in its 11th Five-Year (2005-2010) Plan.
"The size of the emission reduction is greater than any other country in the world," Xie said. "This is China's contribution (to preventing global climate change)."
Xie expressed hope the Cancun Conference can achieve tangible results on finance and technology transfer to help developing countries tackle climate change.
"China will continue to play a constructive role and work with other parties to achieve a successful outcome at the Cancun Conference," he added.
