Voices and Votes: China eager to act on climate change

The National People's Congress is not just an occasion for China to review its achievements, but also a time for the country to state its visions, such as those on energy saving, emissions reduction, and climate change. At a press conference Wednesday on the sidelines of the NPC, my colleague Tian Wei heard not only China's arguments but also its plans and actions in these fields.

Former US president Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the roof of the White House. But, Ronald Reagan, who's been hailed as one of the greatest US presidents in the post-war history, removed them, and took away a brilliant example of escaping from our crippling reliance on fossil fuel. Ironically, Jimmy Carter is dismissed by most Americans as the worst president since the end of the Second World War.

But the US must assume leadership in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. And China knows the urgency as well. This biggest developing country has become the largest maker of wind power turbines and looks set to take the lead in the installing capacity of green energy due to its ambitions 400 billion dollars of stimulus input. Europeans accuse the US and China of leaving them out in the cold following Copenhagen.

 Beijing says a bit of symbolic unity is fine, but we pursue unconditional and diversified green solutions along with emerging markets. The Shanghai Expo in May might be a recipe for both commonality and differences. So go to Shanghai, take a look and have fun. You are watching Voices and Votes. We've got lots of views and opinions still ahead.