Date

Dec 5, 1997

Description

In an unofficial and uncleared State Department report from the Kyoto negotiations, Mark Hambley, part of State’s delegation to COP-3, captures the hardening of China’s public negotiating position during the conference. He notes that Chinese representatives sharply criticized proposals that they believe would restrict the “survival emissions” of developing countries while allowing industrialized nations to continue their “glutton emissions.” Beijing rejected both the proposal itself and efforts to establish further negotiations on the issue, joining other developing countries in “draw[ing] a line of their own in the proverbial sand” against additional commitments. This report illuminates the complicated efforts to reach a deal as Kyoto negotiations drew to a close.

Source

State Department Freedom of Information Act Request

Document published in following posting(s):

“All Roads Lead Through China”: The Clinton Administration, Climate Diplomacy, and China’s Environmental Awakening

Sep 17, 2026

State Department Report from U.S. Delegate at the Kyoto Conference Mark G. Hambley, “Subject: Third Conference of the Parties to the Climate Convention, Update No. 6: Report on Activities/Meetings on December 4/5, 1997,” 5 December 1997, [Classification Unknown]