Fresh mindset from China at UN climate talks changing the game

Referring to winners and losers, Xie Zhenhua, head of China's delegation for the negotiations, also had his say. We should not play a zero-sum game in negotiations because none of us can afford to lose, he said. We should all become winners, though we are sometimes not satisfied with the results, he continued.

Showing a positive spirit of initiative, Xie, who is also vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, said no matter what happens at the global climate negotiations, we will not slack off in our efforts to tackle global warming at home.

China's decision to stick to global principles of fairness and responsibility-sharing mainly result from protecting the interests of developing and vulnerable countries, he said.

Xie has injected new impetus to the negotiations by outlining his country's latest efforts. First, he said, China will be making every effort to reach its peak year of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, though there is no timetable.

He also said some cities or regions in China are being encouraged to reach their peak years of emissions ahead of the national schedule and it is likely that some of the 40 cities that have implemented low-carbon pilot projects can achieve their goal of peak emissions by 2020.

There is also a possibility that the assessment standards of officials' performance in Chinese counties, cities or provinces will change. In the past, the major priority was the speed of economic growth but, in the future, success in reducing emissions will be taken as one indicator of career prospects.

Xie's encouraging, open-minded and sincere expressions are a result of strategic thinking by China's leadership. One year ago, when China's new leadership was elected, it decided to include ecological civilization in its development goals.