From Wall Street Journal:
China issued a major policy on climate change Wednesday, acknowledging its own growing contribution to the problem and its increased vulnerability to a warming planet, but arguing that rich nations should pay poorer countries for the giant costs of cleaning up.
“Based on information we have at hand, our emission level is roughly the same as that of the United States,” Xie Zhenhua, a deputy chief in charge of climate change policy at the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic policy-making body, said at a news conference. But “whether our emissions are higher than the United States is not what really matters,” he added.
Instead, Chinese officials argue that the real issue is who will foot the bill for the costly cleanup. Mr. Xie said “developed countries should, at least, contribute 0.7% of their GDP” to help fund poorer countries fight global warming. The figure represents a possible opening for future climate-change negotiations, as China envisions some sort of global climate tax.
