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Chinese premier's 60 hours in Copenhagen

Zhao Cheng and Tian Fan
ON December 16, Premier Wen Jiabao left Beijing for the climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. "It will be a tough task. Now I can feel how heavy my duty is to attend the meeting on behalf of the Chinese government," Wen told reporters aboard his plane en route to Copenhagen. "As so many world leaders are gathered there, I believe there should come some achievements," he said. "No matter what the result is, China's action plan will not change, its voluntary reduction target will always be non-negotiable, and its determination in hitting the target will never waver,” he continued.
Premier Wen's schedule on December 17 was almost fully occupied by meetings with world leaders. During the meeting with Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Wen suggested that all parties should stick to the consensus they had reached while leaving differences for future negotiations.
In his talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Wen proposed to formulate a political document that may reflect the consensus of different parties. When meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the two countries agreed to firmly stand with other developing countries to safeguard their common interests.
The Chinese premier's meeting with representatives of island countries and underdeveloped nations lasted for over two hours, the longest during his stay in Copenhagen.
Wen said that although China had always urged developed nations to fulfill their funding commitments, it would not vie for even a cent with other developing countries if such a fund were available. In addition, China would continue to assist those countries to cope with climate change, Wen told President Mohammed Nasheed of the Maldives, Prime Minister of Grenada Tillman Thomas, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Sudanese Presidential Assistant Nafie Ali Nafie.
Wen's whirlwind negotiations that afternoon also involved British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
On the second morning, Wen met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The two countries agreed to firmly defend the interests of developing countries. At 9:45 a.m., Premier Wen arrived at the main venue of the conference, 15 minutes earlier than the scheduled opening.
However, nobody was present even at 10 a.m. No explanation was given by anyone.
It was not until 11:30 that Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen announced the opening of the summit. Premier Wen was the first to deliver a speech, titled "Build Consensus and Strengthen Cooperation to Advance the Historical Process of Combating Climate Change." Wen made it clear that what China thought, it did, and would do, to cope with climate change.
At the end of his speech, Wen said: "It is with a sense of responsibility to the Chinese people and the whole mankind that the Chinese government has set the target for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. This is a voluntary action China has taken in the light of its national circumstances. We have not attached any condition to the target, nor have we linked it to the target of any other country. We will honour our word with real action. Whatever outcome this conference may produce, we will be fully committed to achieving and even exceeding the target."
After US President Barack Obama's speech, Premier Wen held talks with him. The two leaders agreed that the conference should achieve a political resolution as soon as possible.
Developing and developed countries discussed the final document, but failed to make any progress, even when the Copenhagen climate change conference was scheduled to conclude hours earlier.
At this moment, it was Premier Wen who played a key role in the last-minute attempt to exchange ideas and reach consensus. As long as there is hope of one percent, we should not give up and must instead make 100 percent effort," he told the Chinese delegation.
Wen decided to meet other leaders of the BASIC countries again and make a final attempt. At the same time, President Obama said he wanted to have a second meeting with Premier Wen. Wen agreed.
The BASIC countries’ leaders agreed to reach consensus on key issues first and then negotiate with the United States and European countries on the basis of safe-
guarding the interests of the developing countries and with the highest degree of flexibility. At 6:50 p.m., when the BASIC leaders were reviewing their final common position, President Obama showed up. Premier Wen politely invited Obama to join them. Premier Wen made clear the position of BASIC countries on several key issues. Obama briefed the leaders of BASIC countries about the latest US stance.
Applause was heard before long as the BASIC countries finally reached agreement with the United States on the wording of some key issues. After some time, all parties concerned agreed on the draft and were ready to submit it for a voting at the conference. It was already nine hours after the scheduled conclusion of the conference.
The achievement was a result of joint efforts by all the participating countries, other than out of the will of one or two countries. Copenhagen witnessed the role China played in this complicated and tough process.
There have been different interpretations of the outcome over the past few days, but people have to recognise that international cooperation to cope with climate change has moved a step ahead in the right direction through the joint efforts of the international community. It delivered hope and confidence to the world. In this process, it was China that showed the greatest sincerity, tried its best and played a constructive part.
Zhao Cheng and Tian Fan. correspondents of the Xinhua News Agency, accompanied the Chinese Premier to the Copenhagen Conference