China's Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission Ma Kai told a forum on Thursday that China will strengthen communication and cooperation with Japan in energy conservation and environmental protection.

The Chinese government is ready to formulate policies, promote projects and construct a technology transfer system between the two countries' private enterprises, said Ma at the second China-Japan Forum on Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection.

Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Amari Akira said at the two-day forum that Japan is ready to share its experience with China in the field.

More than 500 officials, experts and entrepreneurs from Japan participated in the forum, and ten agreements have been signed between enterprises and local governments of the two countries.

"China and Japan are both populous countries with limited per capita resources. Japan accumulated a lot of experience and technologies in energy conservation and environmental protection while maintaining rapid economic development, which China can use as reference," said Wei Jianguo, Vice Minister of Commerce.

China's Baosteel, Shougang Group and Wuhan Iron and Steel Corp. had already introduced Japan's technology in the dry coke quenching process.

During the forum, the NDRC, China's economic planner, released guidelines defining the key cooperation subjects, including 23 technologies in energy efficiency, nine for water saving, 18 in resource utilization and 13 in environmental protection.

This forum is co-hosted by China's NDRC and Ministry of Commerce, and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Japan-China Association on Economy and Trade.

The first forum took place in Tokyo in May last year.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2007)