Chinese ride on the backseat
Posted on 08. Oct, 2010 by Ole Seidenberg in Germany
China is far ahead of things, although few of us know
It’s hard to be a negotiator tracker these days, as it was meant to be someone that is particularly tracking a certain person, in my case Nicole Wilke, the German Lead Negotiator. Not only is Germany (at least officially) hiding behind the EU position that is influenced by many other parties, but those negotiations that are actually important and making things move forward, are also happening mostly behind closed doors. Closed to the public, closed to the press and closed to us, the NGOs.
I have had my single talk of 5 minutes with Nicole Wilke and I shouldn’t complain. I don’t even want to distract her from her work. But as a matter of fact, it’s once again not the negotiations themselves in this huge Convention center, that attract my attention or make up my blogs, it’s rather those things that happend besides the actual talks.
Yesterday, I met Anne and Christoph from Germanwatch, our most active and best represented German NGO at these Climate Negotiations. They are currently strengthening their ties to the Chinese Civil Society and so I met them at a Chinese NGO reception last night. Surprisingly, we didn’t spend much time on talking about German Climate Policies or the positions that Germany is actually fighting for in Tianjin.
But: We ended up in a discussion with some of our Chinese friends about the contrast of China’s energy and climate actions on the one hand - and their official stance as one of the alleged “blockers” of current negotiations.
Apparently, one of our Chinese friends has just yesterday talked to a high-ranked official of the Chinese Government who confirmed that China is already having plans (and going to implement them) that go far beyond all that one would expect from them as an official promise on a UN-level. Not only are they developing the most progressive technology in terms of renewable energies, but they are also going to shut down all their old coal power plants that are now within reach of bigger cities to rebuild them in rural areas, but then based on the newest and cleanest technology available in that regard.
The plan seems to be simple and beautiful: Not only will rural areas make a jump in economic development, it will also make China once more the leader in those technologies that all of us would need. Not first and foremost on paper or within an internationally and legally binding agreement, but in reality.
Later that evening, we came back to the discussion over a glass of whine and started wondering: Why would China not take the lead in these negotiations? Why don’t they use all their political weight and push the US or better: Invite them to follow and join the path leading to the future?
Sze Ping from GCCA China finally helped us to understand: It’s the complex doctrine of Chinese diplomacy that makes them prefer sitting on the back seat and letting others officially lead, while they are already driving a much faster car on the right lane.
Checking the “Chinese Energy Label” on the fridge in that hotel room last night, I recognized: Many German “A++” rated fridges in Germany need more Kilo Watt Hours per year…
Well, well done, China. You are propably doing better than I thought.
But now it’s time to DO good and TALK about it.
