On September 26, 2012, MEP Minister Zhou Shengxian met with visiting Environment Minister of Denmark Ms. Auken in Beijing. They exchanged views on a set of topics ranging from China’s environmental policy, China-Denmark environmental cooperation and bilateral cooperation under the framework of China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development to follow-up activities of Rio + 20. They also reached consensus on enhancing cooperation in the field of prevention and control of water pollution and mercury pollution as well as chemicals management.
Zhou Shengxian firstly on behalf of Ministry of Environmental Protection welcomed the delegation headed by Auken and gave a brief introduction about the latest development of environmental protection in China. He said, after the Rio＋20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, when actively taking part in international cooperation in the field of environment and development, China has actively made overall arrangements for the big pictures in China and the world; adopted strategic measures for enhancing environmental protection in time; further identified the strategy guiding environmental protection work in the new era based on the requirements of new situation and tasks in China; further understood the basic position of environmental protection; adhered to environmental protection in the process of development and development in the process of environmental protection; employed environmental protection to optimize economic development; addressed prominent environmental problems affecting the scientific development and threatening public health, and continuously explored new path to environmental protection that is small in cost, good in benefits, low in emission and sustainable in development.
MEP Minister Zhou noted that China and Denmark have been maintaining good cooperation in the field of environmental protection for years. Many Environment Ministers of Denmark have visited China and witnessed the fruitful results of our cooperation. Now that China and Denmark renewed a cooperation agreement on environmental protection in 2007, we should actively implement related arrangements and achieve substantial results in such areas of common interest as protection of drinking water and ground water, technology on prevention and control of mercury pollution and environmental industry. The two sides also exchanged their views on topics such as the follow-up work of Rio ＋20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and China-Denmark cooperation under CCICED mechanism. Minister Zhou expects bilateral exchanges and cooperation on environmental protection will move to a new stage and embrace broader prospects.
Minister Auken said she was very impressed by the marvelous achievement China has made in environmental protection and its grand environmental plan for the 12th Five-Year Plan period. Denmark values its environmental cooperation with China and hopes to make greater progress in the new stage and make contributions to sustainable development of the two countries.