有关于中国代表团 – About the Chinese negotiators
Posted on 30. Sep, 2009 by Fontane Lau in China
See English version below…
在这次会议中，中国国家发改委应对气候变化司司长苏伟及于庆泰带领一行廿九人的代表团于大大小小的气候会议小组进行谈判。当我在会场取得与会者名单时，脑中的数字细胞就活跃起来。因为屈指一算下，看到澳洲也同样派出了廿九人出席是次会议，美国就更多，有四十九人之多，日本的人数更多，但不逐一细数了。
在与会者名单列中，首先有苏伟，接着就是外交部气候变化谈判特别代表于庆泰。关于两位国家代表团的头目，引用新华社的报导 – 苏伟从1989年开始，一直代表中国参加国际气候变化谈判，至今已有20年。回顾长期以来亲身经历的气候变化谈判历程，他说：“气候变化这个问题非常紧迫，然而又不是一天两天能够解决的，是一项长期的任务。”
Mr SU Wei, Chinese lead negotiator, Director General, Dept of Climate Change, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Source: Xinhua Agency)
而于庆泰在2007的一个媒体访问时，表示外交部气候变化谈判特别代表的主要职责为筹办及参与关于气候变化的国际谈判。于大使于出任此职位前，曾担任中国驻坦尚尼亚大使，亦曾于外交部国际司、非洲司及中华人民共和国常驻联合国代表团服务。
Yu Qingtai, the Special Representative for Climate Change Talks (Source: Embassy of PRC in India)
单单看代表团的名单，其实并没有则重于外交方面，团队中也有熟悉气候变化或环境问题的学者及研究人员。当然，这些国际谈判，讲求都是外交手腕，科学则为重要支持理据。
在网跟上找到苏伟跟于庆泰两位大使的访问，内容也多论及中国已有作出本土的调整方案，比如说减少碳密度 (Carbon Intensity)，还有发展可再生能源等等承担，但也再指出现今世界的气候问题，是历史遗留下来的，直指发达国家不可推卸责任。
而我在会议场听最多的消息都是说，要是美国不肯件出任何正面的承诺，议程大可能会错过最佳时机。我想，当然美国是知情人士公认的绊脚石，可是发展中国家也需要下更大的决心，更积极改善工业污染的问题，适应气候变化的方案，比如说提升农作物生产力，或者是保障受气候变化影响、无法自救的贫苦大众。发达国家则需要在减排方面作出更大幅度的减排，为发展中国家提供科技支持或资金协助。这是不变的基调，但大家都忧虑各国代表无法在曼谷窄分歧，然后就会错失机会，无法在哥本哈根达成共识。到时，地球命运，殆矣。
Talking about the Chinese delegates
Mr SU Wei, the Director General, Department of Climate Change, National Development and Reform Commission, is leading his team of 28 delegates to the UN Climate Change meeting taken place at Bangkok. Whenever I came across with number, I’d get so excited and start the counting game. Australia is sending similar number of delegates, US is having a even larger team, and not to mention the huge Japanese negotiators ran through more than 1 A4 sheet.
On top of the Chinese delegate list, was Mr SU Wei, followed by YU Qingtai. According to Xinhua Agency, Mr SU has been taken part in the international conferences on climate change since 1989. Reviewing the history and movement of climate change negotiation, he said, “Climate change is a pressing issue without a instant solution, which requires long term effort in combating.”
Mr YU is the Special Representative for Climate Change Talks, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is “mainly responsible for organizing and participating in the international negotiations on climate change”. Before he took up this position, he worked for various government departments, including acting as the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania. He also worked for the Department of International Organizations and Conferences of the foreign ministry, the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations and the Department of African Affairs of the foreign ministry.
It seems to me that it’s a good mix among the Chinese negotiators, it includes Ministry of Foreign Affairs, academic staff from Tsing Hua University on climate change or environmental issues, Ministry of Commerce, State Forestry Administration, etc. Certainly, I believe it’s universal among all negotiators in the world that the leading force is still on foreign affairs in such international negotiation process, and science may become evidence of their positions.
What I’ve came across online was that Mr SU and Mr YU were having similar quotes that China has done its part on reducing carbon intensity and developing renewable energy. They have put forward that climate change is a historical issue, and it’s obvious that they’re looking for the industrialized countries to take up the responsibility of the heavy pollution and emissions generated by them since industrial revolution..
What I’ve come across often was the concern that if the US is not taking up more responsibility, while keeping on blaming Chindia as the blockers, it is really probable that not much progress could be done in the Bangkok climate change talks. It’s commonly agreed by the insiders that the US was the blocker, however, I reckon that developing countries should take a more active and ambitious roles, so that we could jointly push the US to the corner that she could never blame anybody else.
It’s not rocket science to push the US to the corner, and I believe that there’s enough capacity among some of the leading developing countries. For instance, reducing industrial pollution, adapting climate change programme (announced by China on 25 September 2009, a joint programme with the UK and Swiss government agencies). Talking about adaptation, we can consider raising the productivity of crops, social protection to the victims impacted by climate change. While the developed countries should take up more ambitious carbon reduction targets, providing technology transfer and funding to the developing countries to improve their efficiency and hence less carbon emission. Should all negotiators continue with the political game across border, such zero sum game will lead the Earth to nowhere but hell.