China has made a commitment to cut its carbon intensity -- the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of GDP -- by 40 to 45 percent from the level of 2005 by 2020.
Despite its dependence on coal, the country now has one of the world's leading green industries.
Last year, China more than doubled its solar power generating capacity and increased wind and hydropower capacities. Its current five-year plan includes ambitions to increase the proportion of energy from non-fossil fuels to 11.4 percent by 2015.
Between 2006 and 2010, Chinese aggregate energy consumption per unit of GDP dropped 19.1 percent from that of 2005, which is equivalent to a reduction of 1.46 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
China is playing a constructive role in pushing forward climate negotiations while doing its bit to keep emissions within targets. Yet it is unfair and unreasonable to hold China to absolute cuts in emissions at the present stage.
It is still a developing nation under rapid urbanization and with 128 million members of its population under a poverty line of living on one U.S. dollar or less per day. Slowing global warming is an urgent task but it must not sacrifice room for further development.
Developed nations that produced most of the heat-trapping greenhouse gases should bear the costs of fixing the problem.
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