China's State Environmental Protection Administration and Italy's Ministry of Environment signed a memorandum on environmental cooperation in Beijing Tuesday.

The memorandum encourages environmental institutions, enterprises and local governments to set up direct cooperation in areas including climate change, biodiversity, anti-desertification, ozonosphere protection, persistent organic pollutants (POP), waste disposal and environmental monitoring.

In addition to the memo, the two sides signed 30-million-dollar contracts for an environment center, a marsh gas program, a disposal program of HFC compound, and five other programs for Beijing Municipality.

Environmental cooperation between China and Italy has been intensified in recent years. The two countries signed a joint statement on environmental cooperation in October 2000, and established a program management office in Beijing later.

According to Li Pei, the Chinese program manager, the office has conducted 10-million-US-dollar programs on POP, emulsified diesel oil, and air quality monitoring.

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2004)