MEP Vice Minister Zhou Jian met today with Roberto Menia, Vice Minister of Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, in the Mansion for Implementation of International Environmental Conventions. Both sides listened to the progress report of the Mansion, recalled the bilateral environmental cooperation, and exchanged opinions on further cooperation.
On behalf of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Zhou Jian extended his welcome to Roberto Menia and his delegation, highly commented the progress and achievements of bilateral environmental cooperation, and expressed his gratitude towards Italian part for their full support in reconstruction after the Wenchuan Earthquake (in Sichuan Province) and the construction of the Mansion for Implementation of International Environmental Conventions. Zhou Jian noted that both sides promoted the implementation of environmental conventions, enhanced the cooperation between the governments, scientific research institutions and businesses of both countries, and realized the goal of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, through bilateral cooperation. The environmental cooperation between the two countries can set a good example for cooperation between developed countries and developing countries.
Zhou Jian said it has been the consensus of the international community to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development. Chinese Government paid close attention to environmental protection and adopted strong measures to promote this task especially the emission reduction work, which had seen positive results. In the meantime, China should also be clearly aware of the daunting environmental situation at the moment and hope to have wider cooperation with Italy in the fields of environmental capacity building, environmental laws, regulations and standards, environmental monitoring, prevention and control of water pollution, soil pollution treatment, environmental emergency response and early warning, mercury pollution prevention and control, and rural ecological conservation.
Roberto Menia was gratified with a number of environmental projects undertaken in China under the China-Italy environmental cooperation program. He said, Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea had conducted fruitful cooperation with its Chinese counterpart and hoped to enhance the cooperation.
They toured around the Mansion for Implementation of International Environmental Conventions after the meeting. Later, at the invitation of Roberto Menia, Zhou Jian visited the Italian pavilion at the 11th China International Environmental Protection Exhibition and Conference.
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