The fourth China-US strategic economic dialogues (SED) is soon to be held in US this week. Both the countries plan to deal with the energy and environment issues together in the next decade. China and US are the two largest energy producer and consumer nations. This joint plan indicates that the two are concerned enough, not only for the energy issue, but for the environmental hazards as well.
China has the largest population in the world, contributing about 22 percent to the total. But it has less than 10 percent of the world’s total farmland. However, it has managed to fulfill its energy requirements through self-reliant efforts. Between 1980 to 2007, its energy self-sufficiency ratio increased to more than 90 percent, whereas the annual consumption rate for the same decreased from 3.39 tons to 1.17 tons. There is also a remarkable decrease in the discharge of carbon dioxide, which measures about 5 billion tons less since 1980.
China has always been serious about the environmental issue. The nationwide afforestation program is contributing a lot to the global security. It aims to reduce its energy intensity 20 percent and its discharge of main pollutants by 10 percent within 2005 to 2010. As the population is growing rapidly, industrialization and urbanization is also growing in a fast rate. But we must thank to the Government initiatives for controlling energy conservation and building environment-friendly society.
On the other hand, U.S. is a developed nation with the biggest overall supply and demand. So the energy and environmental issues stand as the biggest problem for the two. This China-U.S. cooperation in the energy conservation and environmental protection is of great significance for assuring their energy safety, improving their environment, coping with the global climate change and realizing the common prosperity. China has a huge demand and a vast market in energy conservation and environmental protection, whereas the U.S. has abundant capital, the advanced expertise and rich experience in raising energy efficiency, developing the clean energy and exploring and tapping oil and natural gas resources.
The SED was launched jointly by Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President George W. Bush in September of 2006. The dialogue is held twice a year, alternating between the two countries. The previous meeting was held in Beijing in December last year.
It seems that this bilateral energy and environment cooperation between China and US will help China to overcome its energy requirements and environmental problems, while for US it paves ways for business prosperity.
Such a step taken by the mutual understanding and cooperation of the two great nations is significant not only for the two, but it has a positive effect on the global environmental issue as well. We hope that many other countries will also take inspiration and come out to fight the energy and environment problems together.
Source: People’s Daily Online