Forums > Living in Kunming > COP15 starting in about 40 days The second phase of the United Nations' negotiations on the world's new biodiversity conservation goals through 2030, known as COP15, has been relocated from Kunming, Yunnan province, to the Canadian city of Montreal, between Dec 5 and 17, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
The decision was reached following consultation among the Chinese and Canadian governments and the secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, a media release from the ministry said on Tuesday. The secretariat is based in Montreal.
With the COVID-19 pandemic control situations at home and abroad fully considered, the arrangement was made to "accelerate the global biodiversity conservation process", it said.
"China will continue to work as the presidency of the COP15," it said, adding that the theme of the gathering and its logo will remain unchanged.
The Chinese government has always attached great importance to biodiversity conservation, the statement said. With consistent efforts to play its role as the host of COP15, China, together with other parties, will endeavor to see an ambitious and realistic post-2020 global biodiversity framework reached at the meeting.
Dimitri de Boer, chief China representative of environmental law organization ClientEarth, said a lot of negotiations need to be carried out at the conference and the relocation helps address the uncertainties about the second phase of COP15. "This is very practical," he added.
As the largest UN biodiversity gathering in a decade, COP15 was originally scheduled to be held in Kunming, capital of Yunnan, in October 2020.
With the theme "Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth", it is tasked with elaborating on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and identifying protection goals through 2030.
Ecological civilization is a concept promoted by President Xi Jinping for balanced and sustainable development featuring the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.
After being postponed to May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was rescheduled in August to be held in two phases, first in October 2021 and then in the first half of this year.
The first phase was successfully held in Kunming from Oct 11 to 15, which included the opening ceremony, leaders' speeches and the issuing of the Kunming Declaration. Overseas personnel attended the meeting online.
Via video link at the conference, Xi announced China's initiative to establish the Kunming Biodiversity Fund to support biodiversity protection in developing countries.
China took the lead in investing 1.5 billion yuan ($224 million), and called for contributions from other parties to the fund.
www.chinadaily.com.cn/[...]
China, Bangladesh to build overland trade route?
发布者Sorry two more points.
The article states that 600 Km in China has been finished. However 156 Km still has to be done. It took 12 years to build the 265 Km stretch from Dali to near Longling. This with plenty of money from the Go West development program. It would be another 1000 Km to Bangladesh.
At this moment there is not a single road between Myanmar and Bangladesh. One reason for this being the dispute between the two countries and the Rohringya ethnic group issue in the area.
China, Bangladesh to build overland trade route?
发布者I is amazing that these stories keep popping up. The statements are pure political and have no relation to real life.
Any road or rail-link would have to go through Myanmar and anybody who has ever travelled through the north of Myanmar knows that the whole thing is utopic.
There are simply no proper roads in the north of Myanmar. The roads that are there are built more than half a century ago and in appalling condition. Elephants are used to pull vehicles through the worst spots. The reason why these roads are bad is because this is what the local powers that be want it. Better roads would facilitate the movement of the government army and the local 'rebel groups', for their own safety, don't want that.
The government of India don't want it either and well for three reasons: 1. Better roads, or roads at all, in Nagaland would make it possible for the Naga who are in opposition to the central government to easily flee into Myanmar (Nagaland is on both sides of the border.)(Be aware that all the border provinces in India in this area are so instable that foreigners are not even allowed to go there) 2. The road leads from the border through Assam through an area where local opposition groups close of the existing roads for more than a hundred days per year. To put pressure on the central government they declare "ban's" which are general strikes and anybody moving on these days is likely to get his vehicle burned down. More traffic on the road gives the opposition more power and the government of India would have to allocate more force to control the area. 3. A direct trade link with China would swarm India with Chinese products (Chinese products are cheap and high quality compared with Indian products). This thus leads to big opposition from the local industry and trade.
Optimist will make a point that there is a pipeline (Still under construction) from the Bay of Bengal in Myanmar to China so it is possible. Well indeed in this case but the main reason is that Myanmar exports it natural gas from their off-shore fields in the Bay of Bengal to China through this pipe. This forms the single highest export and source of income for the Myanmar government and therefore they are willing to put the extra security in place. What helps as well is that the pipeline is much further south and passes through less instable area.
In short "don't keep your breath".
Cycling Around Erhai Lake
发布者I just cycled along the lake for a bit on the West side. There is a new road more or less hugging the lake side which is great for cycling. The road is reached from the road leading from Dali (Old town) to Caicun Warf. 3/4th of the way down you find the road there crossing the fields. The road is surprisingly well sign posted Erhai lake round road (also the cut off to Xizhou is not indicated). Where the road leads south I don't know but it would be nice if it started in XiaGuan.
Cycling from XiaGuan to Dali on Road#221 I stayed on the cycle part which is separated by the car part by a crash-barrier. This might save you from cars but on the other side there is a several meter straight drop into the paddy fields. Near Dali that track was suddenly blocked by two truck-loads of fresh dung blocking the way so a proper cycling track into Dali would be great.