China criticizes industrialized nations ahead of Copenhagen summit

Nov 25, 2009, 9:56 GMT

   Beijing - China on Wednesday accused the industrialized nations of lacking the faith to push for progress on a new climate treaty ahead of next month's Copenhagen summit.

   'The reason why there was not enough progress in the negotiations is the lack of faith by developed countries,' a Foreign Ministry official said.

   Yu Quingai, the Foreign Ministry's point man on climate issues, accused the developed world of breaking its promises, as the West did not keep earlier agreements on reducing greenhouse gases.

   Furthermore, technological and financial aid promised to developing countries in 1992 to battle climate change, never materialized, Yu told journalists.

   Asked whether China would pursue a legally binding climate deal in Copenhagen, Yu said: 'What is more important is the substantial content of the outcome than the title of the agreement.'

   The results of the last two years of negotations should be locked up, he said, while again rejecting concrete reduction targets for China.

   China insists that developed nations, who are responsible for 80 per cent of the greenhouse gases accumulated since the Industrial Revolution in 1750, should solve the problems they created.

   'Developing countries are the victims,' Yu insisted.

   For China, a climate deal must include substantial quantitative reduction targets by the developed nations as well as financial and technological aid for developing countries for mitigation measures, he said. dpa lw im