China and the United States will explore new partnerships in controlling water and air pollution, as well as pollution from toxic substances, and hazardous and solid waste.

 

The decision was made to expand the cooperation between the two countries at the inaugural meeting of the Joint Committee on Environmental Cooperation (JCEC) held in Washington on November 8.

 

"There is a great potential in the Sino-US cooperation on environmental protection," said Zhang Jieqing, an official in charge of international cooperation in the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA). "Now the cooperation largely focuses on staff exchange, training and joint studies. China hopes that the United States can invest more funds in China on practical projects."

 

JCEC was established under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between China's SEPA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the Field of the Environment.

 

The two sides approved a new strategy based on the commonly recognized accomplishments under the Water Pollution Annex to the MOU, including the source water protection project in the Municipality of Tianjin.

 

As the next step, the two sides want to identify and implement successful approaches for improving water quality in the Huaihe River basin and then apply the experiences to other river basins on the Chinese mainland.

 

These plans are aimed at reducing risks in drinking water systems with a particular emphasis on protecting water sources, according to the strategy.

 

In the meeting, EPA also announced plans to assist China in eliminating mercury from hospitals, clinics and medical treatment sectors.

 

EPA said it hopes to help China in establishing an inventory of mercury emissions.

 

Moreover, a new strategy was devised to focus on reducing persistent organic pollutants and the use and emissions of mercury.

 

SEPA and EPA discussed joint efforts to reduce dioxin emission from cement kilns, to assess pollution from the pesticide lindane and to clean up sites contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyl.

 

The meeting was co-chaired by Xie Zhenhua, minister of SEPA and Steven Johnson, EPA administrator.

 

Xie and Johnson expressed their commitment to further strengthening Sino-US cooperation and to working together to protect the global environment.

 

During his visit to the United States, Xie also stressed that the cooperation on environmental protection should be carried forward among the governmental and non-governmental organizations.

 

He praised for the years of efforts by the Environmental Defense in its cooperation with the Chinese Government and research institutes, especially on pushing China to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

 

Founded in 1967 as a non-profitable organization, Environmental Defence now has more than 400,000 members working together for a better environment.

 

Cooperation on environmental issues between China and the United States started in the early 1980s. In 1980, China and the United States signed the first agreement on scientific and technological co-operation for environmental protection. The two countries' cooperation has continued for years bringing about some fruitful achievements.

 

In 2005, cooperation between the two sides became more intensive. In May, a raft of contracts, worth US$72 million, was signed, including five projects for sulphur removal, hazardous waste disposal, and the production of environmentally friendly materials.

 

In July, SEPA and EPA held a workshop on lowering sulphur levels in transportation fuels.

 

(China Daily November 18, 2005)