The comments marked the first time the two nations have been lumped into the list of major emitters that island states say should be held to account for damage already being wrought by global warming. "We all know that the People's Republic of China, India - they're major polluters, and the polluter must pay," Browne said. To date, climate vulnerable countries have called on historical emitters like the United States, United Kingdom and the EU to pay climate reparations. China itself has previously supported the creation of a loss and damage fund but has not said it should pay into it. The EU and United States have said that China, the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter, should pay.

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