Chinese set conditions for binding climate change commitment after 2020.

China's stance is like saying you plan to give up smoking in 8 years time but will carry on as usual in the meantime. China is playing the global warming delegations at Durban for fools which is quite easy because they are fools or they would not be there. South Africa's foreign minister said she was "pleased" with China's positive attitude. I wonder what a negative Chinese attitude would look like?  China has already extracted billions from the European carbon credit fiasco to build new power stations so they will keep playing the game without really giving anything more than a few vague future promises to keep the gullible Westerners on the hook.

DURBAN, South Africa, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- China will agree to participate in a legally binding treaty on climate change after 2020 under certain conditions, a senior Chinese official said here Monday.

China is still a developing country, and other countries should respect a founding principle of the existing agreements that recognizes wealthy nations must do more since they are responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change, said Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission of China.

"I think after 2020, we should also negotiate a legally binding document. China has really expressed its stance on many negotiating occasions and as I said just now, very clearly, we accept a legally binding arrangement, with conditions," said Xie, who led a Chinese delegation to the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa.

The conditions include: new carbon-cutting pledges by rich nations in the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol; fast launch of the Green Climate Fund agreed on in Cancun under a supervisory regime; implementing the consensus of adaptation; technology transfer, transparency, capability building and other points agreed upon in the former conferences as well as appraising developed countries' commitment during the first period of the Kyoto Protocol.

"China is willing to bear the obligations of a legally binding commitment matched with China's economic development and capabilities based on the principal of common but differentiated responsibilities, fair and environmental integrity," Xie said.