China Established World Domination Status after the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference

Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, National Cheng Kung University

The 15^th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark, concluded with a weak political statement by world powers, provoking lots of moral and emotional criticisms and dampening the future of human existence.

The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference revealed three cruel truths that must be taken seriously. First of all, the recommendations for halting climate change based on scientific research must yield to global political interests. Curbing climate change is not simply a scientific issue. It involves issues related to national economic growth and current global distribution of balance of power among the great powers. The Copenhagen statement was passed after negotiations among the G-2, the United States and China. China, the United States, European Union, and India all gained, and the most miserable losers, as anticipated from the beginning, are the underdeveloped countries and small island nations that have been already severely hurt by climate change.

The second cruel truth is that the interest of individual power always comes before global wellbeing. There are three subject matters of dispute between the United States and China in this climate change conference. The first is whether they should be bound for a legally restrictive amount of carbon reduction. The second is whether such carbon reduction commitment should be inspected under international supervision, and lastly, to what extent the developed countries should provide financial resources to the underdeveloped countries devastated by climate change.

Regarding the first point, both the United States and China are two major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and both are unwilling to cut emissions. However, China asked the European Union and United States to promise deep cuts in emissions based on their historical responsibility while she is reluctant to be bound legally to promise a designated reduction amount. Regarding the second point, the United States reputed China's argument that rich countries should reduce carbon emissions by requiring China to be inspected by the international community on their carbon reduction measures and China refused such proposal. For the last point, to require the rich developed countries to provide financial resources for underdeveloped countries is again proved to be a castle in the sky! The interest struggle between the United States and China failed the negotiation of the three core issues.

The last cruel truth is that in fact the United States and China have veto power to global issues. To anticipate that a global civil society and non governmental organizations can prevent world powers to have their say on international affairs is proven to be a utopian mirage again. The world is at the mercy of the power struggle between the United States and China.

Though some estimate a gloomy prospect of a future of global politics co-governed by the United States and China due to huge discrepancy in their individual ideologies and common values., it can be easily told from their behavior in the Copenhagen climate change summit that without saying “no,” China can determine where the agenda should move simply by silence and uncompromising. Indeed, China has acquired the ultimate power of veto to global development agenda.

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