Diplomatic snub against China in Copenhagen 'still a mystery'
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Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Sunday that the diplomatic snub and ensuing rebukes against the Chinese delegation during last year's Copenhagen climate summit were "still a mystery."
Wen said he and the Chinese delegation had not received any invitation to a small-scope meeting between several countries' leaders on Dec. 17.
"We haven't received any explanation until now. It's still a mystery to me," Wen said.
Wen made the remarks when being asked to comment on his "decision not to attend a key meeting" before the Copenhagen climate change summit and the Chinese delegation to the Copenhagen conference being perceived as "arrogant."
"It still perplexes me why some people keep trying to make an issue about China (in this regard)," he said.
Wen said he learned from a European country's leader, at a banquet hosted by Danish Queen, about the meeting that would be held later in the evening, and saw China was on the list of the meeting's participating countries.
"I was shocked as I had received no notification that China was invited," he said.
He immediately told the Chinese delegation to check and confirmed that no notification had been received.
"Even though, I decided to send Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei to the meeting on behalf of the Chinese delegation," he said.
Wen said China will continue to work with other countries to advance the international efforts in tackling climate change.
He wrote to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen, respectively, at the end of January after the Copenhagen conference, expressing in clear-cut terms that China highly commends and supports the Copenhagen Accord.
Not long ago, China once again wrote to the United Nations, expressing that China fully supports the Copenhagen Accord, he said.
He said climate change concerns human survival, the interests of all countries, and equity and justice in the international communities.
"We are fully justified to stick to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities," he said.
China has said it would endeavor to lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 compared with 2005 levels.
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