China expects Doha climate conference to produce "balanced" result

BEIJING, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- China expects "comprehensive and balanced" results from the upcoming climate change conference in Doha, Qatar, the country's chief negotiator to the UN climate change talks said Wednesday.

Xie Zhenhua, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said, "We hope the conference, like the one in Durban (last year), will reach a comprehensive and balanced result."

"This means it will not only take care of the common interests of all human beings but also address the different realities and needs of different countries," Xie said at a press conference in Beijing.

China expects to see such a resolution, which would not only push forward the climate change talks but also cater to the basic interests of all countries, Xie said.

The 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP18/CMP8 Conference) will be held in Doha from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7.

In a report issued Wednesday by the NDRC, the Chinese government said the most important outcome of the Doha Climate Change Conference should be making definite arrangements for the implementation and enforcement of the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

The conference must also ensure that the second commitment period is implemented in a timely fashion starting from Jan. 1, 2013.

"After nearly two decades of negotiations, we need to finalize the common understanding set up by the convention and the protocol, (in order) to take action and fulfill the promises made by countries," Xie said.

"We need to work out a legally-binding result for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol that can be tabled for approval," he said.

China will not change its strategy in the negotiations, and it would like to work with other countries to cope with climate change, Xie said.

"Currently, there are big differences among parties and different countries have their own priorities. Let's hope that through two weeks of negotiations agreements will be reached on major problems," he said.

He pledged that China will play a constructive role in pushing the process forward.

In addition, China would like to see actual moves regarding issues of concern to all developing countries, such as mitigation, adaptation, funding, technology transfer and capacity building, he said.

The NDRC report said developed countries, in particular, should fulfill their promises to reduce emissions.

They should also provide support in terms of funding, technology transfer and capacity building, and ensure that already-established mechanisms and institutions start substantive work, the report said.

The conference should make proper follow-up arrangements for issues left unsettled in the Bali Action Plan, such as fairness, trade and intellectual property rights, in order to successfully complete talks on the Bali Action Plan, according to the report.

China also urges the conference to allow for the full exchange of views on issues relating to the continued enforcement of the UNFCCC beyond 2020, the report said.

A working group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) was established at the Durban conference last year to develop a protocol or another legal instrument applicable to all parties to provide a basis for them to implement the convention and work to reduce emissions beyond 2020.

China is open to negotiations on the continued enforcement of the UNFCCC beyond 2020 once it is based on the principles of fairness and "common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capacities," Xie said in response to a question on when China would be ready to accept a binding greenhouse gas emissions target.

"After we finish talks on the arrangements prior to 2020, China is willing to take an active part in further negotiations," Xie said. "We can not predict the results of future talks, but we will implement whatever agreements are reached by all."

The country hopes that the parties can agree on basic principles for the Durban Platform negotiations and start the talks next year, he said.