China and Canada are taking steps to build a strong partnership in the fight against global climate changes, said Sun Cuihua, division chief of the State Development Planning Commission.

Speaking at the inaugural reception of the Canada-China Cooperation in Climate Change (C5) Project over the weekend, Sun said China has done much to tackle problems related to climate changes.

China has built a national climate change coordination committee to help the successful implementation of the C5 project, Sun said.

Total funding for the C5 project amounts to 31.5 million yuan (US$3.8 million). The Canadian International Development Agency contributes 26.25 million yuan (US$3.2 million) while China funds approximately 5.25 million yuan (US$638,000).

The memorandum of understanding for the project was signed this May by Vice-Foreign Trade Minister Long Yongtu and Joseph Caron, the Canadian Ambassador to China.

The two-and-a-half-year C5 project focuses on strengthening the capacity of Chinese institutions to deal with climate change, including training courses, workshops and case studies.

According to meteorologist Wang Bangzhong, climate change is the most significant environmental issue the world faces.

"Forecasts show that a continued warming of the earth's atmosphere could trigger a wide range of changes in our climate that could have consequences for our environment, our health, our agriculture and our future," said Jeff Nankivell, a counselor at the Canadian embassy.

"Canada and China have been partners in the environmental field for more than a decade. Our two countries can learn from each other and can meet the expectations and demands of our citizens by addressing the very important issue of climate change."

According to Nicole Jasmin, the project director for the Canadian side, this is an issue no country can handle alone.

(China Daily November 25, 2002)