China Proposes Plan for Durban Climate Change Summit

China has proposed a positive action plan for the Durban Climate Change Summit to be held from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 in South Africa, a senior Chinese official announced on Oct 25.

Xie Zhenhua , vice director of the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic policymaker, said approving a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol would be one of the top challenges at the summit.

The Kyoto Protocol stipulates the first commitment period will end in 2012. Developing countries have generally agreed to sign for a second commitment period, but a number of developed countries have refused.

Xie said China’s plan insists on singing for a second commitment period. It asks those developed countries that have not signed the protocol to make a commitment to measurable emission reduction. It also asks developing countries to take voluntary action to reduce emissions and suggests this should be written into the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Xie said the plan was drawn up based on the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility,” and was adopted by most of the countries at a preparatory meeting of the Durban Summit.

Xie said the result of the Durban negotiations will probably “not satisfy everyone but can be accepted.”

"That seems to be best resolution because the UN Climate Change negotiation is based on multilateral mechanism,” he said.