China Calls on Developed Countries to Take lead in Cutting out Coal

On the sidelines of Cop26, China called on the developed countries to take the lead in cutting out coal in a bid to kick the ball back to these nations.

China and India chose the last few hours of negotiations to push for the language on coal to be diluted from “phase out” to “phase down”, but both countries came under nearly immediate fire from commentators.

Later, Cop president Alok Sharma asked both countries to "explain themselves and what they did to the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world".

For his part, the spokesman at China's foreign ministry Zhao Lijian said that before asking all countries to stop using coal, developed countries should remember how far many developing countries need to travel in order to find sustainable ways to provide electricity for their citizens.

In this regard, Zhao said: “We encourage developed countries to take the lead in stopping using coal while providing ample funding, technological and capacity-building support for developing countries' energy transition. We need concrete actions more than slogans."