Chinese official: Stern “irresponsible”
China and the US continue their barbed exchange. The Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei (photo above) says that the US chief negotiator either lacks common sense or is “extremely irresponsible”
Marianne Bom | AP in COP15 | 11/12/2009 20:20
In unusually blunt language, China’s Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said on Friday that he was "shocked" by US climate envoy Todd Stern's comments earlier this week that China shouldn't expect any American public climate aid money, and that the US was not in any debt to the world for its historically high carbon emissions.
"I don't want to say the gentleman is ignorant," He Yafei told reporters at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen. "I think he lacks common sense where he made such a comment vis-a-vis funds for China. Either lack of common sense or extremely irresponsible."
The world's two biggest greenhouse polluters have been exchanging barbs this week about the sincerity of their pledges to fight climate change.
China is grouped together with the developing nations in the climate talks. But Stern said that when it comes to financing to help poor countries deal with climate change, the US doesn't consider China one of the neediest countries.
"I don't envision public funds — certainly not from the United States — going to China," he said on Wednesday. "China to its great credit has a dynamic economy, and sits on some two trillion dollars in reserves. So we don't think China would be the first candidate for public funding."
The Chinese official said that China wasn't asking for money, rather that the US and China had different responsibilities in dealing with global warming. (Photo: Scanpix/AFP)
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