Criticizing China over Copenhagen meeting unfair
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It was unfair to accuse China of "hijacking" the negotiating process at the Copenhagen climate change conference, says the director of Norway's Climate Research Center.
Knut Alfsen told the daily Dagsavisen for a story Tuesday that China did not deserve criticism over the outcome of the conference, which concluded on Dec. 19 with a nonbinding document known as the "Copenhagen Accord."
Ed Miliband, the British energy and climate change secretary, said in a Dec. 20 article in The Guardian newspaper that China tried to "hijack" the Copenhagen conference.
Alfsen said the accusation by Miliband was "unfair" as China is "miles ahead of" the United States in dealing with global climate change.
China's target for mitigating emissions was an "ambitious" one. Alfsen said. He said China is in the process of improving its society while bringing its emissions under control. Because of that, he said, it was wrong to point fingers at China.
Norwegian Environment and International Development Minister Erik Solheim shared the same view with Alfsen in an interview with the state television NRK.
Solheim said China should not be blamed for whatever happened during the Copenhagen meeting.
Dismissing Miliband's remarks as politically motivated, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said Tuesday that China has made arduous efforts to advance progress at the Copenhagen conference and adopted a series of measures and policies in dealing with climate change.
China was second to none in terms of its attitude, intensity of actions and the achievements in addressing the climate change issue, Jiang said.
He added that China's voluntary emissions cut target had no strings attached and was not linked with the targets of any other country.
Some developed countries that have failed to fulfil their obligations should reflect on their own conduct, Jiang said.
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