China and Germany issued a joint statement on environmental cooperation at the closing ceremony of the 2000 China-Germany Environmental Protection Conference December 13, defining the key cooperation areas between the two in the near future.

The joint statement says China, according to its national situations, will improve the laws, regulations and policies on environmental protection by drawing on the lessons and experiences of Germany, and make efforts to carry out the laws and regulations. Germany will encourage enterprises to have environmental cooperation with China.

The statement says the two countries will strengthen cooperation in the environmental fields including the increase of energy efficiency, development of sustainable energies, protection of land and water resources, biological diversity and safety, establishment of an environmentally friendly traffic system in cities, construction of urban environment infrastructure, and the control of water, air and solid waste pollution.

China and Germany have great potential in working together to improve China's environment. Germany has advanced technology and expertise in environmental protection. At the same time, the large-scale management of China's environment is underway, and the country is aiming to blend environmental policies into various fields including energy, communications, agricultural and industrial sectors, according to the statement.

The statement says that the governments of China and Germany will continue to encourage enterprises of both countries to have cooperation on environmental protection. The governments of the two countries will hold environmental protection forum at regular intervals.

The two-day conference is the largest and highest level bilateral meeting between China and Germany on the field of environmental protection. About 1,000 delegates from the governments, research organs, enterprises and non-governmental organizations of the two countries participated in the meeting.

(People's Daily 12/14/2000)