Paris Climate Change Conference, COP 21

The twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) took place from 30 November to 11 December 2015, in Paris, France.

“Everything must be done to make the Paris conference a success.

If we don't reach an agreement in December, the global public, who are looking at us, wouldn't understand. Our fellow citizens know that later will be too late.

So we, ministers and negotiators, must show ourselves equal to the challenges and to our responsibilities. Collectively, we must find the path to an ambitious compromise. Together, we can build hope.

Meet the conference hosts

"The Paris UN Climate Conference represents an historic opportunity to put the world on course to meet the climate change challenge. The world needs a new model of growth that is safe, durable and beneficial to all. COP21 seeks to deliver a clear pathway with short and long term milestones, and a system to help us measure and increase progress over time until we get the job done.  The Paris Agreement is not only possible, it is necessary and urgent. We are counting on everyone’s contribution." who  Christiana Figueres where  Paris why   The twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP)  what   "The Paris UN Climate Conference represents an historic opportunity to put the world on course to meet the climate change challenge how  The Paris Agreement is not only possible, it is necessary and urgent. We are counting on everyone’s contribution." pathway 小路 milestone 千里之石 negotiator 談判人 ministers  執行者 網址 http://unfccc.int/meetings/paris_nov_2015/meeting/8926.php

South China Sea, dispute, Hague, China, Philippines, Taiwan

Beijing asserts sweeping ownership in these contested waters. Now an international tribunal has ruled in favour of the Philippines in case over territorial  controlhe lead up to the ruling was fraught. China’s foreign minister called the US secretary of state, John Kerry, by telephone last week and warned against moves that infringe on China’s sovereignty. And Beijing conducted military drills,deploying at least two guided missile destroyers and a missile .

Bonnie Glaser, the director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) thinktank in Washington, said a ruling that questioned or rejected China’s “nine-dash line” would not  invalidate  all of Beijing’s claims to land or maritime zones in the South China Sea. “[But] it would really limit the amount of water that the Chinese could have any legal sovereignty claim to.

Russia has backed Beijing’s position that direct talks should take place.

And portraying itself as the victim of a US conspiracy to contain its rise, Beijing has scoured the globe for supporters in its case, no matter how disconnected they might be from the subject. In late May the foreign ministry in Beijing saidVanuatu, Lesotho and Palestine had joined its side.

“Countries that harbour no selfish interests and understand the South China Sea sympathise with and endorse China’s just position on this issue,” spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

Townshend said China had good historical reasons to be concerned about “more powerful external countries ganging up on it and telling it what it is entitled to do and not do”.

“[But] it is very difficult for China to play the victim card when you look at the scale and speed and content of what it has built and put on the islands.”

portray 描寫 描繪


maritime  沿海的


sovereignty 主權

frigate  巡防艦


 invalidate 方法 

What  ：An international tribunal in The Hague overwhelmingly backed the Philippines in a case on the disputed waters of the South China Sea, ruling that rocky outcrops claimed by China 

Why ：Control of the South China Sea is the most contentious and explosive diplomatic issue in east Asia, with China asserting sovereignty over maritime areas that span 3.5m square kilometres but are also claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia

Who： The Philippines raised the case in 2013 in a five-judge permanent court of arbitration in The Hague,

How ： Experts are divided on how China will react to the verdict. Some believe China could push back aggressively if the court comes down firmly against its interests.

網址 ：https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/jul/12/south-china-sea-dispute-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-hague-court-ruling