China's envoy twice rebuts US accusations at UN meeting: US is biggest obstacle to global climate cooperation
Photo:UN
At a UN Security Council debate on climate and security on Thursday, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Geng Shuang, twice took the floor to rebut US accusations. The US representative initially did not name China directly but later singled it out in his statement. In response, Geng, who at first either did not name the US but later did so explicitly after the US, said Washington should stop shifting blame and instead work with other countries to tackle global climate challenges.
While delivering a speech at the Thursday meeting, the US representative focused his remarks on "a permanent member of the council," claiming that it alone is responsible for more than 26 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and continues to "gain unfair economic advantages by undercutting its economic competitors," according to a video of the meeting released on the UN website.
In response, Geng said that "Just now in his speech, the United States representative referred to a permanent member of the Security Council taking up 26 percent of the global emission. I noticed his euphemism and indirectness. Now that he was so indirect, I would like to indirectly remind him that this permanent member of the Security Council has 1.4 billion people and its GDP takes the second place in the world. This country is contributing annually more than 30 percent to the world economy, and its per capita emission is not among the highest in the world."
This Security Council permanent member is recognized by the international community as one of the countries with the firmest will, the strongest actions, and the most remarkable results in fulfilling its emission reduction commitment. It is definitely a doer in the global response to climate change, said Geng.
"I also wish to indirectly point out that we have another permanent member of the Security Council whose total greenhouse gas emission in history takes up the first place in the world, and its per capita emission is always number one in the world. This permanent member of the Security Council has taken a major step backward in history by withdrawing twice from the Paris Agreement, severely undermining global climate governance efforts," said Geng.
After Geng's remarks, the US representative took the floor and claimed that China's repeated responses showed defensiveness as the world's largest carbon emitter, while highlighting what he described as US success in improving the environment and reducing pollution alongside economic growth.
Geng then rebuked that "Since the US representative has been less subtle this time, I will not mince words either. China is the biggest carbon emitter in the world today. We are not hiding from this fact. That said, China is widely recognized by the international community as one of the countries with the strongest commitment, the most decisive actions, and the most remarkable results in fulfilling its emission reduction commitments."
We have 1.4 billion people, our GDP is the second in the world, and our contribution to the world economic growth is for all to see. If you look at the US, by contrast, it claims that climate change is the greatest con job in human history, it withdrew from the Paris Agreement twice, and it is the biggest obstacle to global cooperation on climate change, said Geng.
"In terms of climate change, who is taking actions? Who is shirking responsibilities? Who is promoting cooperation? Who is disrupting cooperation? The international community sees it all clearly. In the end, I would like to again call on the international community to promote cooperation and solidarity instead of pointing fingers or shirking responsibilities in terms of climate change cooperation," Geng said.
Global Times
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