China's top research body, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and the world's second largest oil group, British Petroleum, announced Thursday they would work together to study clean energy.

According to an agreement reached by the two parties, the CAS-BP China Center will work together in clean energy research over the next decade.

The British company agreed to contribute US$10 million to the center, which is the fifth BP research center worldwide.

Yang Boling, vice president of the CAS, said that the two parties would concentrate on research areas of common interest. In addition, they would jointly own any relevant achievement and intellectual property rights.

(People’s Daily January 11, 2002)