The ongoing cooperation among Chinese and U.S. companies and cities could help local neighborhoods to become more energy-efficient against the backdrop of spiking energy prices, two energy giants' executives told Xinhua here in a recent interview.

"We have been working together on a range of things" from solar projects to the eco-city initiative, James Rogers, chairman of Duke Energy, said on the sidelines of an Asia Society event.

"Our mission is to help make our communities the most energy- efficient ones in the world," said Rogers, also chief executive officer of the North Carolina-based Fortune 500 company.

Duke Energy and ENN in May paired with Charlotte in North Carolina and Langfang in northern China's Hebei Province to ink a four-party eco-partnership deal, as the two cities will collaborate on promoting energy-efficiency education and encouraging local community action.

Duke Energy will collaborate and share knowledge with ENN in developing the eco-city and adapt what is learned from the eco- city development as it deploys energy technologies in its U.S. service areas in the future.

The cooperation between governments and between businesses will create new "insight and value", and it will turn out to be mutually beneficial to local people, Rogers said.

This agreement is of critical importance, as both nations share similar energy and environmental challenges, Wang Yusuo, chairman of ENN, a leading Chinese private energy company, told Xinhua.

"The eco-city initiative will target at energy generation, transmission, use and recovery, which is important for future city planning and could provide more energy options to consumers in the future," Wang noted.

The technical groups of two companies have been mapping out the action road map and time frame in a bid to promote the joint development of technologies to help build green cities, Wang said.

Cities in both countries not only have common needs for energy supply, but also have common environmental protection goals, Rogers noted, adding that the United States and China have the " shared destiny" of coping with energy and environmental challenges.

"If we can solve them, that will bring benefit to the rest of the world," Rogers added.

Rogers held that the global energy price spike "has motivated us to develop renewables, motivated us to develop battery technologies, motivated us to make local homes and businesses most efficient in the world."

Wang also stressed that the development of the clean energy sector could facilitate local economic growth and job creation in both countries.

ENN, pioneering innovative technologies that provide clean energy solutions, is constructing China's first smart energy eco- city in Langfang, adjacent to Beijing.

In Asia Society's annual Washington award dinner on Wednesday, Rogers and Wang were jointly granted the International Business Award.

Other awardees included former U.S. State Secretary Henry Kissinger, Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj and U.S. Under Secretary of Treasury Lael Brainard.