China willing to contribute to climate damage compensation
China says it is under no obligation to contribute but is still willing to help compensate poorer countries.
China would be willing to contribute to a mechanism for compensating poorer countries for losses and damage caused by climate change, its climate envoy Xie Zhenhua has said.
Speaking at the COP27 environmental conference in Egypt on Wednesday, Xie said China had no obligation to participate but stressed his solidarity with those calling for more action from wealthy nations on the issue, and outlined the damage China had suffered from climate-linked weather extremes.
China is designated by the World Trade Organization as a developing country, despite having the world’s second-largest economy.
Last month, United States special climate envoy John Kerry told reporters that China should contribute its own funds to loss and damage, “especially if they think they’re going to continue to go on to the next 30 years with increasing their emissions,” Politico reported.
Xie noted that Kerry, “his friend for 25 years”, had not raised this issue with him during informal talks at COP27 this week. He added that China already contributed billions of yuan (hundreds of millions of dollars) to developing countries to help with their mitigation efforts.
After US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan this August, China said it would halt all dialogue with the US on climate, despite unveiling a pact with the US at COP26 in Glasgow last year to cooperate on climate change.
Xie said Pelosi’s visit had “hurt Chinese people’s feelings” but noted that informal discussions and personal correspondence with US delegates continued.
“The door is absolutely closed by (the United States),” he said. “It is we, China, who are trying to open it.”
Speaking at the COP27 environmental conference in Egypt on Wednesday, Xie said China had no obligation to participate but stressed his solidarity with those calling for more action from wealthy nations on the issue, and outlined the damage China had suffered from climate-linked weather extremes.
China is designated by the World Trade Organization as a developing country, despite having the world’s second-largest economy.
Last month, United States special climate envoy John Kerry told reporters that China should contribute its own funds to loss and damage, “especially if they think they’re going to continue to go on to the next 30 years with increasing their emissions,” Politico reported.
Xie noted that Kerry, “his friend for 25 years”, had not raised this issue with him during informal talks at COP27 this week. He added that China already contributed billions of yuan (hundreds of millions of dollars) to developing countries to help with their mitigation efforts.
Xie said Pelosi’s visit had “hurt Chinese people’s feelings” but noted that informal discussions and personal correspondence with US delegates continued.
“The door is absolutely closed by (the United States),” he said. “It is we, China, who are trying to open it.”
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
