Xie Zhenhua, China's special representative on climate change affairs, talks during an interview with Xinhua in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 17, 2016. Global climate talks have evolved from erstwhile zero-sum mentality of some parties to more positive and constructive attitudes amid the general realization of the severity of climate change and the urgency needed in response, China's top climate envoy said here Thursday. Cooperation for win-win outcome should be the right approach to climate talks, Xie Zhenhua, China's special representative on climate change affairs, said in an interview with Xinhua. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)
MARRAKECH, Morocco, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Global climate talks have evolved from erstwhile zero-sum mentality of some parties to more positive and constructive attitudes amid the general realization of the severity of climate change and the urgency needed in response, China's top climate envoy said here Thursday.
Cooperation for win-win outcome should be the right approach to climate talks, Xie Zhenhua, China's special representative on climate change affairs, said in an interview with Xinhua.
"I hope all parties would maintain the atmosphere of win-win cooperation, engage in candid exchanges to find common ground, rather than seeking zero-sum outcomes," said Xie, who has been playing a major role in climate talks for more than 20 years.
Stressed that the theme of the ongoing Marrakech climate conference is the implementation of the Paris Agreement, Xie said China advocates concrete actions, and shuns moves taken only for show.
The envoy believed that the Marrakech conference should send the world a positive message that global climate governance remains well on track, to dispell people's worries.
The Paris Agreement was signed last December and entered into force on Nov. 4. So far 110 of the 193 signatory parties have ratified the agreement.
"The wise and far-sighted option should be to follow the zeitgeist rather than running counter to world trend," Xie said, hailing the Paris accord as a deal reflecting the consensus of nearly 200 states parties and representing the way forward for green, low-carbon development around the globe.
"The Paris Agreement coincides with China's national development strategies," the envoy said, underscoring China's unswerving determination to follow through its targets, policies and actions on combating climate change.
He expressed the hope that China would contribute to a positive outcome from the Marrakech conference and seek to find solutions through consultations.
Xie said that only through stronger capacity building in developing countries can climate targets be met within the global climate governance system, listing funding and technology as two major difficulties.
He said although some developed countries have come up with a roadmap for financial support for developing countries, it still falls short of the rich countries' commitment of providing 100 billion U.S. dollars a year in assistance by 2020.
This and the involvement of double counting make it very hard for developing countries to accept such a roadmap, Xie said.
He noted that parties should strengthen cooperation in technological innovation, collaboration and technology transfer, since they are at the core of combating climate change.
Xie suggested that the Green Climate Fund open up a special channel for transactions in intellectual property rights to facilitate technology transfer.
