West rebukes Chinese Premier

Western leaders have reacted badly to a Chinese proposal on climate change. Premier Wen Jiatao yesterday called on rich countries to abandon their ‘unsustainable lifestyle’ and help poor nations who bear the brunt of Western energy abuses.

An angry missive was penned just minutes after Mr Jintao’s remarks. Bank ki-Moon, Nicholas Sarkozy and Speaker Nancy Pelosi drafted the note, which has been signed by over fourteen rich nations, including all G8 members.

‘China doesn’t tell us what to do,’ the note begins. ‘Hey Jintao, since when did the East become the moral conscience of the world? Where was China during Srebrenica? Or when the Hutus massacred the Tutsis? Or when Serbia needed bombing? Who came up with Kyoto? Or the idea of halving poverty and disease everywhere by 2015? Sure we’ve had our faults in the past. But by-gones, Jintao. Let's turn our eyes instead to the recent past. In the last ten years China has become one of the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide in the world...’

Mr Jintao suggested that wealthy nations divert 1% of their economic worth to paying for clean technology transfers and helping the Third World overcome damage from the rising temperatures.

This Chinese obduracy recalls a ten day environment conference held in Stockholm in 1972. The 120 nations were having difficulty getting a final declaration and China was blamed for having issued two unreasonable demands. Firstly, it wanted the United States and the Soviet Union to admit they bore the largest part of guilt for the destruction of the environment in the Third World, and secondly, the Vietnam conflict, which the Americans didn’t want to talk about, should be discussed. Mao was never strong on diplomacy.

EU Supremo Nicholas Sarkozy told a press conference in Paris: '1%?! Has no one told him some of us already give 0.7% of our GDP for pete’s sake? Do you think we can afford some quixotic chinoiserie at a time like this?'

Then Mr Sarkozy addressed the Chinese Premier directly:

‘You’ve had your Olympics Jintao, and you’d better learn there’s a time to keep your mouth shut.’