The United Nations Security Council held a special meeting on April 17, its first ever open debate on climate change. The meeting was written by some Western media as being characterized by "overt opposition between China and Britain". Analysts say China is facing mounting pressure as Europe plays the "environment card" more and more frequently.

At the meeting, hosted by British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, all parties expressed grave concern about climate change, but were sharply divided when Britain attempted to discuss the environmental threat as an international security issue at the UNSC.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon backed Britain, saying increasing degradation and competition for dwindling resources has weakened the power of states to resolve conflict. Other supporters included EU members Italy and Germany, as well as Peru and Japan.

However, developing countries, including Pakistan, Cuba and South Africa, responded fiercely, arguing that the first and foremost mission of the Security Council is to maintain world peace and security, while matters related to economic and social development should be a matter for the UN Economic and Social Council and the UN Assembly. More specifically, climate change should be discussed under the mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or the Kyoto Protocol, which limits greenhouse gas emission from developed countries to contain global warming.

As a large developing country also affected by global warming, China naturally sided with the developing world.

Climate change might affect world security, but generally and ultimately, it is a question of sustainable development, said Liu Zhenmin, the Chinese deputy ambassador to the UN. The Security Council does not have the "professional competence", nor is it the "right decision-making place" for extensive participation leading up to widely acceptable proposals.

"In our view, discussions at this meeting constitute nothing but an exception; there are neither outcome documents nor follow-up actions," he said.

His remarks echoed strong arguments from other developing countries; that it is the developed world that has generated the majority of the pollution, and that developing countries are suffering disproportionately. The perpetrators should act first to cut emissions and fund alleviation programs.

Behind the contention are EU efforts to gain domestic support and boost its international image by suggesting the environmental threat is a security issue. Apparently, some western countries hope to break the "common but differentiated responsibilities" principle laid down in the Convention and other institutions to shift more obligations to large developing countries, including China.

The United States, which withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol in 2001 citing an excessive burden on the domestic economy, lay surprisingly low during the debate.

By People's Daily Online