Ma Kai is a Chinese communist. He is a political economist. This spring Ma Kai was elevated to the position of Secretary-General of China’s State Council having successfully completing a five-year stint as Minister of China’s National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”) which controls the planned, centralized economy for most populated country in the world (1.31 billion).

There is one thing about this communist I like: He must be driving Al Gore crazy.

For years China has been in the cross-hairs of Al Gore’s earth-worshipers who demand that China adopt greenhouse gas emissions caps. In rejecting caps Ma Kai has time and time again pointed out the hypocrisy and unfairness for developed countries, like the U.S., to ask developing countries, like China and India, to halt their economic progress, and cut their own throats, by committing to mandatory greenhouse gas reductions. Ma Kai thinks that’s quite an “ask” by the developed countries and is unwilling to sentence China’s folks to lives mired in poverty for the next 50 years and beyond.

According to Ma Kai, developed nations who benefit from China’s low-wage factory workforce should not point fingers. Ma Kai sums this up when he says, “Ever increasing rates of energy consumption are the norm for developing nations, which have become low-cost factory economies, that are mainly contracted by Western companies to make products for developed countries.”

With a rural population of 750 million enjoying a per capita disposable income of only $397 (compared to U.S. per capita disposable income of $27,640), Ma Kai knows that China has a different set of priorities. “The most important task now is of course to develop economically and reduce poverty,” said Ma Kai. “For this reason, in responding to climate change the international community ought to fully think about developing countries’ rights and space to develop … It really baffles me to see some people say that China is a major threat with regard to global warming…. People are not putting the blame on those countries with large historical emissions, high per capita emissions … to say that these countries are the major threat to global environmental security,” Ma said.

Finally, last year, under Ma Kai’s leadership, the NDRC relented and published China’s National Climate Change Programme, but firmly rejected mandatory caps on emissions that could harm China’s developing economy.

“Our general stance is that China will not commit to any quantified emissions reduction targets … The ramifications of limiting the development of developing countries would be even more serious than those from climate change.” Ma Kai said in declaring that his country’s economy was more important than questionable assumptions over climate change, adding, “I fear this [EU temperature target] lacks a scientific basis.”

Minister Ma Kai’s firm stand was backed up in a speech this spring by Chinese President Hu Jintao who confirmed that, “China will firmly keep to the path of peaceful development, a strategic decision made by the Chinese Government and people.… China respects the right of other peoples to independently choose their development path. It does not interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, nor does it try to impose its own will on others.”

You may want to scoff, but unlike the United States, China at least has another communist five-year plan that includes goals of rapidly developing domestic energy sources (mainly coal) and raising the standard of living of its population, as opposed to U.S. leaders who have no plan other than frustrating market access to the energy Americans need.  Our own nation’s bizarre plan is effectively to reduce American’s standard of living in the name of saving the planet.

Even with its many shortcomings, at least China is looking out for its economy first, much to the chagrin of the radical earth-worshipers. Regardless, of whether or not China is now the top carbon polluter, its leaders have identified China’s first priority—its folks. U.S. leaders should take heed.