Official: More emission cuts for China unrealistic

China cannot be expected to cut emissions even more than it already has, according to Xie Zhenhua, Vice Minister of China's National Development and Reform Commission.

The senior Chinese official arrived in the Danish capital Copenhagen on Monday to attend the UN climate conference. Xie said China's commitment to reducing the intensity of its carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 amply demonstrates that the nation is a responsible international stakeholder. He argued that it would be unreasonable to demand further emissions cuts from China, given its developing-nation status and substantive unilateral initiatives.

Xie Zhenhua noted that developed countries, which shoulder the historical burden for climate change, have completed their industrialization. China, on the other hand, is at a critical juncture in its industrialization and urbanization process. Over the past five years, China has made every conceivable effort to cut emissions, eliminating more than 1.5 billion tons of carbon of discharge. It would, therefore, be difficult to justify demands that a developing nation like China cut emissions even further at the expense of its economy and development.

Xie Zhenhua said, "As far as I can see, not one country has been able to cut as much carbon during its industrialization period as China has. It is unreasonable to demand even more. It is not practical, and not based on sound scientific principles."