Vice Minister Wu Xiaoqing met with a delegation led by Antoine Frerot, Veolia Environment Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in Beijing on May 26. The two sides exchanged views on issues of common concern, including the 12th Five-Year Plan for national environmental protection and environmental industry.

Vice Minister Wu began by a greeting to the delegation. Then he gave a brief introduction about China's environmental protection effort. The Chinese Government has always attached great importance to the environmental protection work, identified it as one of the fundamental national policies, taken the sustainable development as one of the fundamental strategies, and adopted a series of policy measures. As a result, the environmental protection effort has been quite effective. The emission reduction tasks had been accomplished far beyond planned goals and the ecological environment had been remarkably improved during the 11th Five-Year Plan period. The State already adopted the 12th Five-Year Plan for National Environmental Protection, which specified that by the year 2015 the total emission of sulfur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand would have been down by 8% each from the 2010 levels, the total discharge of ammonia nitrogen and nitrogen oxides would have been down by 10% each from the 2010 levels, the municipal wastewater treatment rates would have been up by 85%, and the industrial solid waste treatment rate would have been up to 95%. It may well be said that tougher energy conservation and emissions reduction goals and emission standards have brought huge potential for the development of the market of China's environmental industry.

Vice Minister Wu said that by the year 2010 over 30,000 organizations had been engaged in the environmental industry, with employment of over 3 million and total annual income around 1.1 trillion yuan. The Chinese Government would take stronger environmental measures during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, and identify the environmental industry as one of the strategic emerging industries whose developments are China's top priorities, which will create better opportunities for the development of environmental industry. China's environmental market is also an open market, and overseas companies possessing technical strength, effective marketing approaches, and advanced management experience are welcome to invest here.

Antoine Frerot returned Wu's greeting and spoke highly of China's achievements in environment field. He said that Veolia Environment's main lines of business are water solutions, solid wastes solutions, and energy services, which are already in operation in China with some achievements, and the clients include not only plants and firms but also government departments. He hoped to conduct deeper and more extensive cooperation with the Chinese Government and make greater contributions to China's environmental protection undertaking.