Brussels, 29/04/2010 (Agence Europe) - The EU and China have taken a step towards strengthening their policy dialogue on climate change with a view to moving towards greater cooperation and concrete results. This was to the great pleasure of Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, who is currently in China, and who is stepping up the number of contacts she has with international players in an attempt to obtain concrete results at the world climate conference in Cancún (COP 16, 29 November-10 December).
The EU and China have in fact decided to institutionalise their dialogue through regular consultation at ministerial and expert levels. Speaking from Beijing where she is staying till Friday as part of a European delegation, the commissioner considers as fruitful the talks she has held with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, the minister for meteorological administration, Xie Zhenhua, and the vice-president of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
The joint statement published by Xie Zhenhua and Connie Hedegaard on Thursday 29 April points out that regular high level contacts should be held through a climate change hotline at ministerial level and that there should be regular contacts at high level and between experts to fuel high level dialogue.
This is a “further step forward towards closer cooperation”, the commissioner states in a press release, going on to add: “Minister Xie Zhenhua and I expressed our support to the Copenhagen Accord and we will promote the reflection of the Accord's political agreements in the UN negotiation process. For the next climate change conference in Cancun later this year, we agree that the goal must be to reach a positive outcome”, she said.
In their joint statement, both parties affirm: “We agreed to establish a regular dialogue on climate change, at our level, to deepen mutual understanding, strengthen coordination, enhance practical cooperation and exchange views”. The climate change hotline will aim to “facilitate an expedited exchange of views and sharing of information on new developments related to climate change”.
The EU and China reaffirm, moreover, the “principle of common and differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities” to guide the global fight against global warming. Both parties agree to pool their efforts and to cooperate closely within the two ad hoc working groups as part of the UN negotiation process and within the framework of the Kyoto Protocol. (A.N./transl.jl)