Visiting Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji met Wednesday with Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and Anna Tibaijuka, executive director of the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat).
Zhu said that China appreciates the important roles the two UN agencies have played in promoting the protection of global environment and the development of human settlements over the past years, which have pushed forward the cause of environmental protection and human settlements in developing countries.
The Chinese government has always attached great importance to environmental protection and has been working hard to improve the housing conditions for the broad masses of the people, an effort that has brought fruitful results, he said.
The UN and China have carried out good cooperation on environmental protection and human settlement work, said Zhu, adding that China hopes to enhance its cooperation with the UN on the control of sand storms that are affecting China and some other Asian countries.
Toepfer said that UNEP is delighted at the gradual reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in China, a fact that means China has well coordinated its economic development with its social development and environmental protection.
UNEP is playing an active role in world environment protection and its cooperation with China is also constantly enhanced, said Toepfer, adding that he hoped both sides will carry out more effective cooperation in the future.
Tibaijuka thanked the Chinese government for its support for UN-Habitat, saying that she also appreciated the assistance China has provided to developing countries in their efforts to cope with the challenges brought by urbanization.
She said that the UN-Habitat is carrying out many projects in cooperation with China, and that the UN agency hoped to maintain and strengthen its cooperation with China as the country has sped up its pace of urbanization.
The Chinese premier arrived here on Tuesday for a four-day official visit to Kenya.
( April 25, 2002)
