Chapter 1
Introduction
Section 5 Basic Principles and Position on Several Questions Concerning Global Environment and Development
1.24 Since the conclusion of the UNCED, the international community and relevant international organisations have cooperated in the implementation of Agenda 21 as adopted by the UNCED, and have made notable progress. This is manifested in that:
More and more people have begun to accept the important consensus reached at the UNCED that environmental protection cannot be considered in isolation from social and economic development;
Sustainable development has step by step become an important guiding principle in formulating the economic and social development strategy of various countries;
International lawmaking concerning environmental protection is steadily progressing; and
International cooperation in environment and development is making headway.
However, the progress achieved so far still falls considerably short of the requirements for implementing Agenda 21.
This is mainly because quite a few developed countries do not honour their commitment on financial resources and technology transfer, using various excuses. Some of them even attempt to practice trade discrimination and place restrictions on developing countries, under the pretext of environmental protection by introducing the so-called "Environment Clauses" or "Social Clauses" into international trade.
1.25 China's principles and position on global environment and development cooperation:
Environmental protection should be integrated with economic development. Economic development, which is indispensable to human survival, is the material basis for protecting and improving the environment. For developing countries, poverty eradication and economic development are the over-riding priorities. Therefore, in addressing global environmental issues, the international community should take into full account the special circumstances and needs of the developing countries and should make earnest effort to extricate developing countries from their disadvantageous positions in external debt, trade, and financial resources, so as to help promote their economic development. In the meantime, each country should adopt national economic development strategies that can maintain ecological balance and achieve integration of environmental protection with economic development.
While environmental protection is a common task of humankind, the developed countries have greater responsibilities. This is because global environment deterioration has been primarily caused by the developed countries' excessive consumption of natural resources and excessive discharge of pollutants. Bearing the main responsibility, the developed countries should honour their commitments on providing new and additional financial resources and on transferring advanced environmentally sound technology to developing countries on preferential terms, as to enable the latter to effectively improve their environment and participate more in global environmental protection.
International cooperation on environment and development must be based on mutual respect for the sovereignty of states. Each country, whether big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, has an equal right to participate in activities relating to international environment and development. In this sense, respect for national independence and sovereignty should be taken as a fundamental principle in solving global environmental problems. Each country has the right to formulate, according to her national conditions, her own strategies, policies, and measures for addressing environmental protection and development. Meanwhile, each country should refrain from damaging the environment of other countries in the exploitation of its own natural resources.
World peace, stability, environmental protection, and development are indivisible. War and turmoil not only causes enormous losses of lives and property, but are invariably destructive to the ecological environment. Therefore, in the course of promoting global environmental protection and development, each country should strive to maintain her national stability and to safeguard regional and world peace. Each country, moreover, should seek to solve all disputes through peaceful negotiation and should oppose the threat or use of force.
Each country's current practical interests, as well as the world's long-term interests, should be taken into consideration simultaneously in dealing with environmental problems. While paying attention to some global environmental problems, priority should be given to regional environmental problems, especially those plaguing the developing countries, such as environment pollution, soil erosion, desertification, flooding, drought, etc. The international community should understand and support the rational demands of developing countries concerning the above-mentioned problems.
1.26 China's viewpoint on several cross-sectoral issues:
On financial resources and transfer of technology
Developed countries should honour their commitments made in "Agenda 21" to reach the accepted UN target of 0.7% of GNP for ODA by the year 2000, and to expedite transfer of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable and non-commercial terms.
On trade and environment
Trade policy measures for environmental purposes should not constitute a means of arbitrary discrimination on international trade, in an attempt to restrict developing countries' economic development or to restrict their products' access to market.
On patterns of production and consumption
Developed countries should change their unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, and make efforts to promote a global shift to sustainable patterns of production and consumption.
On global climate change
Developed countries should reduce their anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and should, at the same time, provide the requisite financial resources and technologies to developing countries in accordance with the Convention provisions to enhance the latter's capability to address climatic change issues.
On biodiversity
Developed country Parties should, in accordance with the Convention on Biodiversity, provide developing countries with new and additional financial resources and transfer, on fair and most favourable terms, relevant technologies, to promote protection and safety of global biodiversity.
On forests
The Chinese Government consistently holds that each sovereign country has absolute sovereignty over its own forest resources. To maintain a sustainable utilisation of forest resources, full consideration should be given to the ecological, economic, and social benefits in the use of all types of forests resources.
On trans-boundary transfer and disposal of hazardous wastes
China firmly stands for a comprehensive ban on trans-boundary transfer of hazardous wastes by developed countries to developing countries, and adopts an active attitude towards the related decisions, amendments and the "Liability and Indemnity Protocol" which is currently being formulated. Moreover, China maintains that the producers and countries of origin of hazardous wastes should bear the responsibility of compensation in respect to trans-boundary transfer and disposal of hazardous wastes.
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