EU eyes Chinese five-year plans, COP 15

Release Date: 2009-07-15

In Beijing, a European delegation seeks to encourage steps by China that will ease a Copenhagen deal on climate.

Two upcoming Chinese five-year plans are the targets of an EU delegation paying a week-long visit to Beijing.

“We noticed that China is acting vigorously toward a low-carbon economy, but we would like to see the targets of China improved in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) and even the 13th Five-Year Plan,” Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren tells China Daily.

He heads the delegation, as Sweden is currently holding the rotating EU presidency.

The overall purpose of the visit is to improve the chances of a strong global deal coming out of the UN conference on climate change to be held in Copenhagen this December.

“We really want to bring others with us to make commitments in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and we need China onboard,” Mr. Carlgren says, referring to the EU pledge to cut its emissions with 20 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. The EU has promised to raise the target to 30 percent, if other major economies make “comparable” efforts.

So far, China has only been willing to make relative commitments, e.g. energy efficiency should be raised by 20 percent from 2005 to 2010 – a target due to be more than reached.

In November, the EU and China will hold a bilateral summit. According to China Daily, Andreas Carlgren believes the summit “offers an opportunity for a breakthrough on the way nations share technology to fight climate change.”

Type:	NORMAL
Company:	COP 15
Country:	Denmark
Url:	http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=1716