China 'quite confident' about reaching climate deal
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E-mail Xinhua, December 12, 2015
China is "quite confident" that an agreement will be reached at the Paris climate conference by Saturday, a senior Chinese official said Friday.
"Our delegation has been working very hard over the past weeks, with all the stakeholders, all the partners trying to seek the final conclusion of The Paris conference," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told a press briefing. "We are confident that by tomorrow we should have an agreement."
The issue of "differentiation" is at the core of China's concern about the Paris agreement, he added.
Sticking to the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities," the emerging and developing countries have demanded the developed countries fulfill their obligations in reducing emissions and helping developing countries tackle climate change, Liu said.
He noted that the Chinese delegation "has actively and constructively participated in the negotiations" during the Paris climate conference.
On the so-called "high ambition coalition," an informal group including the European Union, the United States and some developing countries which call for a strong deal, Liu said "we hope they can realize their ambitious commitments. For China and other countries, we should honor our commitments. We believe that our objectives are also ambitious."
"It makes no difference whether you are in the coalition or not" in tackling climate change, he added.
China's Special Envoy on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua said in an earlier interview with Xinhua that fighting climate change needs pragmatic actions, not eye-catching shows.
