MINISTRY OF ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Mobile
中文 Hot Keywords:
Photo News
Home > News > Photo News
The Fifth China-EU Ministerial Dialogue on Environmental Policy Held in Beijing
2013-07-22
Font Size:[ S M L ] [Print] [Close]

 MEP Minister Zhou Shengxian and Mr. Potocnik, European Commissioner for the Environment attended the meeting.

Zhou Shengxian and Mr. Potocnik jointly signed the Minute of the Fifth China-EU Ministerial Dialogue on Environmental Policy.   ( Photo by Jia Jiheng, reporter of China Environment News)

The Fifth China-EU Ministerial Dialogue on Environmental Policy was held in Beijing on July 19. MEP Minister Zhou Shengxian and Mr. Potocnik, European Commissioner for the Environment jointly attended the meeting.
The Dialogue was held in a mutual-trust, friendly, frank, and practical atmosphere. The two sides reaffirmed their commitments to the implementation of the 2012 14th China- EU Summit, reviewed and looked forward to the bilateral co-operation on environmental protection, and had in-depth exchanges of views on major policy issues such as the building of ecological civilization and air pollution prevention and control in China. Both sides are satisfied with the achievements of China-EU environmental cooperation and officially announced the launch of the China-EU Sustainability Programme.
Zhou pointed out in his speech that the 18th CPC National Congress has incorporated ecological progress into the “five-in-one” overall arrangement of the socialism cause with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed the need to give high priority to environmental protection and required the country to understand and solve the environmental problems from the strategic perspective of the building of ecological civilization. By following the guidance of building ecological civilization and setting the goal of building a beautiful China, we will adhere to the principle of giving high priority to environmental protection, strive to pursue economic development in the process of environmental protection and protect the environment in the course of economic development, and follow the basic requirements of low cost, good benefits, low emission and sustainability. We will actively explore new approaches to protecting the environment, accelerate the strategic transformation of environment management, endeavor to solve prominent environmental issues that hinder scientific development and impair people’s health, and be brave to be the leader, promoter and enforcer to promote ecological progress. Zhou also outlined the current priorities of China’s environmental work, including deepening air pollution prevention and control with PM2.5 as the focal point; enhancing prevention and control of water pollution in drainage basins and groundwater by focusing on the assurance of drinking water safety; further promoting contiguous environmental treatment of towns and villages as well as soil pollution control by focusing on solving rural eco-environmental problems.
The two sides then conducted in-depth discussions and reached consensus on a number of global and strategic issues including EU strategy for green growth; pollution control policies such as air, mercury and waste management; biodiversity conservation; and sustainable development goals.
Both sides agreed to strengthen co-operation in the framework of multilateral environmental agreements with a view to achieving global environment goals on biodiversity, chemicals, mercury and waste management. At the bilateral level, both sides agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in such fields as biodiversity and ecosystems conservation, sustainable production and consumption, and air pollution prevention and control. Both sides agreed to maximize the mutual synergies between the China’s ecological civilization building and the EU’s resource efficiency agenda in the formulation of major policies, with a view to supporting global sustainable development.
As a platform for environmental dialogue between the two sides, China-EU Ministerial Dialogue on Environmental Policy has been held alternately in Beijing and Brussels for four times since 2003. It has played an important role for both sides in enhancing mutual understanding, intensifying exchanges, deepening consensus and strengthening cooperation, thus has been highly valued and fully affirmed by leaders of both China and the European Union, and has become an integral part of the ever-deepening China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership. This dialogue has further deepened the established sound cooperative relations and friendship between China and the European Union, and expanded new areas of cooperation.
Before the meeting, Minister Zhou and Mr. Potocnik held small-scale bilateral talk. After the meeting, they jointly signed the Minute of the Fifth China-EU Ministerial Dialogue on Environmental Policy and visited a photo exhibition on the achievements of environmental cooperation between China and the European Union.