The European Union (EU) will launch several co-operation projects later this year to help China address its environmental problems.
Klaus Ebermann, head of the European Commission Delegation in China, made the revelation in Beijing yesterday at the fourth China-Europe Environmental Conference.
The transfer of EU environmental knowledge, skills and technologies to China will become increasingly necessary if China is to achieve sustainable development, he said.
The projects will include four-year Environmental Management Co-operation Projects aimed at improving local environmental management. The scheme will include the drawing up of environmental protection policies.
The EU will invest 13 million euro (US$11 million) into the project and China will chip in nearly 6 million euro (US$5 million).
A five-year natural forest management project will be launched next year with an investment of 16.5 million euro (US$14 million).
The project, which will aim to protect natural forests in China, will generate plans for the management of forests in the country and help boost the local economy through the use of forests.
Such projects form part of the EU's co-operation with China over the next few years.
According to Klaus Ebermann, the EU will invest 250 million euro (US$211 million) over the next five years into projects benefiting China.
As well as environmental protection, the new schemes will also target issues like poverty alleviation.
China has already co-operated with the EU over environmental protection and helped improve the present situation, according to Song Ruixiang, vice-minister of the State Environmental Protection Administration.
Yet despite the progress made, China still lags behind developed countries in the field of environmental protection, he said. But he said the country had taken positive steps and introduced some advanced foreign techniques and management systems to improve matters.
During the conference, environmental experts and entrepreneurs from both the Chinese and EU sides held talks on various environmental issues.
(Chinadaily.com.cn 06/14/2001)
