Miliband laments climate result amid strains with China

Miliband laments climate result amid strains with China

* China accused of ‘hijacking’ Copenhagen climate talks

BEIJING: Visiting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband expressed his disappointment on Monday over the Copenhagen climate summit, a day after China’s premier hit back at charges Beijing sabotaged the meeting.

Miliband’s comments in Beijing underlined lingering strains between the two countries over the December summit since his brother, Climate Change Minister Ed Miliband, said Beijing had “hijacked” the talks. “We were very disappointed by the outcome of the Copenhagen conference and we all have to take responsibility to make sure that in the year ahead up to the Mexico meeting we regain lost ground,” the foreign secretary told reporters.

Mexico hosts the next UN summit on climate change beginning in November. Ed Miliband wrote in a newspaper article in December that China had vetoed attempts to give legal force to the accord reached at the UN-backed talks in the Danish capital. He also said Beijing had blocked an agreement on reductions in global emissions — charges that China has denied.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao again dismissed the charges on Sunday, and denied he snubbed a meeting of state leaders including US President Barack Obama at the summit, saying China was not even invited. A controversy had erupted after reports emerged that Wen sent a low-ranking foreign ministry official to the meeting.

“Why was China not notified of the meeting? We have so far received no explanation for this and it remains a mystery to me,” he told reporters at an annual press conference to close parliament. He also said China - the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases - was unfairly perceived as a climate change spoiler. “It still baffles me why some people continue to make an issue about China,” he said, adding that his “conscience is clear” and the Copenhagen outcome was positive. The British foreign secretary’s visit comes with ties also strained by China’s execution of a Briton for drug smuggling. (AFP)

China alleges diplomatic snub at Copenhagen summit

China alleges diplomatic snub at Copenhagen summit

(AP) – March 14, 2010

BEIJING — Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said he was snubbed at last year's Copenhagen climate change conference and fired back Sunday at critics who accuse China of arrogance.

China was blamed by some for undermining efforts to reach a binding agreement at the December conference and Wen was himself criticized for skipping a meeting of top leaders attended by President Barack Obama.

However, Wen says he was never formally notified of the late-night Dec. 17 event and sent Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei to register a protest. Wen said no explanation had been given about the lack of a formal invitation.

"Why was China not notified of this meeting? So far no one has given us any explanation about this and it still is a mystery," Wen said at an annual news conference on the final day of China's legislative session.

"It still baffles me why some people try to make an issue out of China," he said.

Wen said China remained fully committed to the nonbinding Copenhagen Accord that requires developing countries to propose voluntary actions to combat climate change.

"China worked with other countries attending the Copenhagen conference, and with joint efforts we have made the Copenhagen Accord possible," Wen said.

"This result has not come easily and it is also the best outcome that could have been achieved on an issue that concerns the major interests of all countries," he said.

As the world's largest emitter of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, China has come under increasing pressure to commit to reductions. Beijing said before Copenhagen it will cut its "carbon intensity" — a measure of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of production — by 40 to 45 percent by 2020, compared with 2005 levels.

The dustup over Wen's Copenhagen appearance was part of a series of controversies portraying China as more aggressive and intransigent in its relations with the outside world. Having weathered the economic downturn better than many nations, Beijing is increasingly regarded as seeking to assert its influence and resist demands for reform.

During his 60 hours at Copenhagen, Wen held numerous meetings and speeches but made no remarks to the media, as is standard with Chinese leaders.

(This version CORRECTS Corrects that official sent to meeting was Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei, sted Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.)

Musician stirring ...

I spent today walking around downtown Copenhagen, from the Main Square through Norreport's shops and cafes, to the Amalienborg Palace (which was lovely in its symmetry and with an unpretentious-but-noble presence), to the King's Garden (snowed in) and Rosenborg Castle (stiff, and mostly filled with jewels, which for some reason was singularly unexciting. As the person manning the store put it, it's a storage attic).

The last destination I had in mind for the walking tour was the Fortification next to Osterport station. It was getting dark, and I decided not to venture into the big snowy park across what looked like a frozen moat. Instead, I walked down Esplanade/Brodegade back toward the center of town.

By happenstance, the road passed by the domed building I had seen earlier from the plaza at Amalienborg Palace. On the map, it was called the Marble Church, and I decided to take one more look around. I crossed over to ( ) street, which had festive holiday lights strung across and strolled through the winter night. I arrived at the church and took a few photos of the exterior, turquoise oxidized copper against a twilight sky. As I circled around the edge and prepared to walk home, I glanced in the window and caught a glimpse of an exquisite interior. Amber had mentioned the other day that she always liked to see the insides of churches, simply for the aesthetics -- so I decided to give this one a try.

At the front door, there was a sign that said, "no sightseeing." Apparently the doors were closed for an ongoing "koncert." I glanced at the program posted on the wall, which looked awesome -- my eyes focused on the words J.S. Bach -- and at once decided to stay.

As soon as I walked inside, I could hear strings floating across the room. I tiptoed to a pew and sat down, relaxing into the blanket of sound. The music swelled, and it was absolutely rapturous ... that moment ... you musicians know what I mean, the feeling you get when the music crests into a wave of harmony and togetherness, carrying a particular emotive force ... The sound was stunning, enveloping the audience in its brilliant and lovely timbre. I could have stayed in place for hours, with swimming acoustics that reverberated and bathed you in beauty and light. The scene ... the high rounded dome, soft golden illumination, saints and angels in shining garb standing in 12 panels around the heavens ...

The chamber orchestra played through Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, and I do not know if I was awake or dreaming in that world awash in beauty and sound. I felt fortunate to be allowed this perfect moment on a winter night.

Earth Hour

(Afternoon with Kevan, Sabine and Johnny ... Tivoli Gardens ... Lantern Parade ... Lights off at 7 PM ... )

I carried a small Danish girl on my shoulders so she could see the stage. She couldn't speak English yet, so she gave me a quizzical look when I spoke to her, but her brother could speak English and translated for her.

This lady from the Hopenhagen organization kept asking Eric to take photos with his camera, lol. I had to continuously clean off the lens with my scarf, as it was snowing through the evening, and the lens kept fogging up.

I was freezing the whole time -- I was still wearing my suit and dress shoes from this morning, and my feet were especially feeling it. Until suddenly, near the end, I had gone down to look for a pen, and when I stood up, I suddenly felt warm, my feet were so warm. I realized this was not a good sign.

At the end of the event, we went to Burger King to warm up for a few minutes. Then we dashed over to McDonald's for wireless internet. (Yes, the same cafe I had gone to in the morning).

--

Afterward, Eric and I went to the "Global Greens" event for mayors, hosted at the Nimb Hotel. This is the event that Steve Schneider had sent out to the Stanford COP15 list. There were apparently five events going on at the same hotel, including one for mayors upstairs, where apparently Mayor Bloomberg of New York and Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, were present.

The GG event organizers said they would try to corral everyone passing through to come down to the "Vinotech" i.e. wine cellar, where the event was taking place. It wasn't part of the World Mayor's Forum upstairs, but none of the mayors would know exactly where they should be, so we were going to just reel them in.

There was a complex set of instructions that involved checking guests off on the list, then asking for a business card if they didn't have one, and then waving them in, where they could get their coats taken. (Amber and Matt Colgan were assigned to be coat people ... two Stanford grad students as manservants ... such luxury, lol! I told Matt, "Seriously, you shouldn't have to be doing this. These people can hang up their own coats. They're not royalty." Heh heh.)

It was a fine event. I think we were all tired and we just sat at the table and had a mellow time chatting and drinking wine (or eating oranges, in my case).

//Steve Schneider speech at the end//

It was truly an awesome day. To close it out, when we left the hotel after midnight, a soft white blanket of snow had fallen over Copenhagen. The sidewalks were covered with a layer of white. We were giddy at the sight of snow -- you see, some of us are from California, and snow is an absolute novelty!

We gathered it up in our hands, and tossed it into the air, and took photos of ourselves crunching through the fine layer of powder under foot. I bet the city looks wholly different tomorrow; it already seems calmer, quieter as we walked home through the snow tonight.