China’s GDP per capita remains very low even though the nation has become the world’s second largest economy. China’s pledges would be different from those of Annex I countries (developed countries) because it is still a developing country, said Liu Zhenmin, deputy chief of the Chinese delegation and vice minister of Foreign Affairs, on Nov. 21, one day before the conclusion of Warsaw Climate Change Conference.

Liu pointed out that China iscurrently going through the processes of industrialization and urbanization. Therefore, its economy will definitely grow and emissions too will increase, but Liu said China has already made great efforts to improve energy efficiency.

“I think in international negotiations on climate change, we should not expect China to deliver a commitment the same as those of the developed countries,” Liu said. There are almost 1.4 billion people in China and yet the nation’s emission per capita remains very low. The sum of its past accumulated carbon emissions is even smaller.

Liu noted that China doesn’t have the responsibility to set a compulsory emission reduction target and insists on realizing the principal of “common but differentiated responsibilities.”

The climate change negotiation has entered a new era as the overall situation of carbon emissions and economic development have drastically changed; the focus of negotiations is gradually transferring from one on developed countries to one on new type economies such as China and India.

China admits the fact that it is the world’s largest emitter, but its emissions per capita total at a mere 6.6 tons, much less than the U.S., which emits as much as 17.2 tons. The EU has drastically cut its emissions by 7.3 tons, but the amount remains higher than that of China.

Liu stressed that China will be a developing country for decades to come and China is willing to offer funding to other developing countries through the South-South Cooperation.

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