International emissions reduction standards should be related to population scale, development speed, technological level and capital capacity according to a report issued at Tsinghua International Security Forum on November 11 in Beijing.

The inconsistency between countries' rights and responsibilities on carbon emission reduction has severely hindered the climate change control process. The international society needs to ensure that rights and responsibilities are taken into account.

Climate change is no longer a purely economic, moral and technological problem. It is a global political issue. Global climate change disputes are characterized by the struggle for international political power. Disagreements between big greenhouse gas emitters, especially the U.S. and China, are gradually becoming the focus of climate change politics.

"The US tries to strategize the climate problem to make it a strategic bargaining chip in checking the pace of China's economic development. Of course, this is resolutely opposed by China and other newly industrialized countries," said Yan Xuetong, Dean of Institute of Modern International Relations, Tsinghua University. [watch his exclusive interview with China.org.cn]

"With the politicization of carbon emissions, China needs to improve its skills of negotiation and promote flexible climate diplomacy to avoid becoming the focus at the talks on Climate Change," said Professor Zhang Haibin, of School of International Studies, Peking University.

According to the report, China will keep its present pressure when facing the climate problem in the next three years. Over the next four to seven years, there will be relatively strong uncertainty in China's climate politics environment. In the next eight to 15 years, China's emissions reduction achievements will be greater than those of other countries, so its discourse power over the climate problem will rise and China will command a certain dominant position.

Toward a World of Fair Carbon Emissions is the third research report issued at Tsinghua International Security Forum. The report was written by School of Contemporary International Studies of Tsinghua University. The forum was established this March and previously issued a research report on nuclear non-proliferation as well as a report on financial security.