Shortly after the start of the conference, Gaston Browne, chairman of the Aosis Group of vulnerable island states, caused the first stir. He demanded that China too should contribute to the financing of climate policy. Coming from a member of the China-dominated G77 group of 134 developing countries, that was quite a statement. Browne had to row back, but the signal was sent (Climate.Table reported). China’s negotiator Xie Zhenhua then quickly clarified that his country would support a mechanism for compensation payments for damage in poor countries – but by no means financially (China.Table reported).