Copenhegan：the US and China finally agree on rights issue

China is often under the criticism from the US and other Western countries over its human rights records, China's standard answer since 2005 has always been: the formost human rights are the right to live and to develop. Chinese government regards the right to live and develop is the basis of all other human rights.

Chinese position and the West's differ on rights conception, the fomer is group right, the latter is individual right which is more or less reflected in the Article 1 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights(“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”)

Human rights are "basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." Apart from civil and political rights, human rights also mean the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law; and economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right to be treated with respect and dignity, the right to food, the right to work, and the right to education in some countries.

Obviously it is against the spirit of human rights if certain peoples’ chance of economic development is restricted and discriminated because of their citizenship and which country they live. Copenhagen Accord is supposed to be a compromise of the two principles, i.e. individual and group, but the accusations made by the like of Edward Miliband against China is more based on the principle of group rights, it is discrimination against individual rights and against the liberal principles by which China is often scolded by the West.

China is often criticized by the west by evoking individualist principle on Chinese state infringement of Chinese citizens’ individual rights. But this time on climate negotiation, the west suddenly found individual right something to be avoided. They do not like to compare the carbon emission per capita between the developed countries and the developing countries.

The fact is, the US’s per capita output, in 2007 19.5 ton. The biggest carbon emission per capita are those from gulf oil rich little states, about 30-50 tons per person. China’s CO2-equivalent output per person was 5.5 tonnes of CO2 per year. By responsibility, if individual bear equal responsibility disregarding his/her country, it is mainly rich countries' responsibility to cut emissions and stop global warming. Developed countries account for 80 percent of the total global carbon dioxide emissions since the Industrial Revolution over 200 years ago.

Of course, both China's per capita and total emission is catch up quickly. In 2000 it was the equivalent of 3.9 tonnes of CO2 per person per year. In total carbon emission, China has surpassed the US already. That is why the west led by the US won't allow China 's per capita emission approach near to the US level, which would be a global disaster. But it can also argued in reverse. Since it is so dangerous to allow Chinese to increase their emission to the US's level, why not the US and other rich country cut their emission substantially to the level of Chinese, instead of preaching over cut emission hypocritically as what Miliband does.

The West should make up their mind on a consistent standing when dealing with China, i.e., to adopt a group principle or an individual principle. While dealing with Chinese people and other peoples in developing countries, should their individual rights, e.g.,civil, political, economic rights(restricted by emission quota), be respected? or should their group right be respected, as the governments of china and other developing nations always insisted?

Seems the US and Europe pick and choose different principle to suit their need here. when they make human right accusations against china, they insist each Chinese should enjoy the same individual rights and freedom as everyone else in the world. But when coming to the emission and right to develop, they are against Chinese individual rights to reach the same level of development and living comforts as the west.

P.S. Chinese per capita output is higher than that of many countries significantly richer in per capita terms. Current nominal Chinese GDP per capita is around $3,250, but countries such as Turkey ($10,479), Brazil ($8,295), Macedonia ($4,656), Jordan ($5,600), and Algeria ($4,588) all have significantly lower per capita CO2 equivalent outputs. Hence China has its own reason to improve energy efficiency and make their industries greener. It would be Chinese domestic need more than the pressure from the west which push China to go greener.