Report calls for environment, climate cooperation as new engine of China-EU partnership

A think tank report released globally on Friday has called for developing environment and climate cooperation between China and the European Union (EU), proposing it as a new driving force for their bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.

The report, titled "China-EU Cooperation on Environment and Climate: Progress and Prospects," was jointly released by the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, the National Energy Conservation Center, the Xinhua Institute, and the Institutes of Science and Development under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The two sides should strengthen their green partnership, effectively leverage the important role of bilateral cooperation on environment and climate, making it a new engine for bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperation, a new highlight of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, a new bond for bilateral cultural cooperation, and a new model for global environment and climate cooperation, said the report.

Adhering to a mechanism-led approach, the report noted that the China-EU High-Level Environment and Climate Dialogue should become the leading mechanism to further cooperation mechanisms involving multiple entities, levels and areas.

Environment and climate topics can also be covered in other high-level mechanisms. For example, there could be dialogues and exchanges related to environmental products and services and green trade at the China-EU High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue.

Relevant parties should also be encouraged to establish bilateral exchange platforms for different entities, including local governments, think tanks, experts and enterprises. Local governments in China and in EU member states should be encouraged to engage in environment and climate cooperation, establishing more sister provinces and cities, said the report.

Universities from both sides could explore ways to establish China-EU environment and climate institutes, while the China-EU Environmental Policy Research Center should fully utilize its role to build platforms for dialogue and cooperation between Chinese and European environmental think tanks.

To increase forms of cooperation, the report urged efforts to strengthen dialogue and exchanges in fields such as clean energy, advanced energy-saving and carbon-reducing technology, green transportation, green buildings, methane, marine litter, key areas of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, circular economy, environmental technology, and environmental trade.

The China-EU Green Action should be launched to strengthen coordination and connection in fields such as digital economy and artificial intelligence, thereby stimulating new momentum for bilateral green cooperation.

The report also stressed further expansion of the coverage of cooperation, noting that triangular cooperation, such as "EU-China+Southeast Asia" or "EU-China+Africa" cooperation, should be enhanced.

In conjunction with South-South cooperation on climate change, the green Belt and Road Initiative and other programs, new forms of China-EU cooperation can be explored. This would involve additional parties within the framework of South-South cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative, said the report.

Considering that developing countries face the dual tasks of pollution control and carbon reduction, the report also called for designing cooperation projects that are capable of addressing both environmental and climate issues.

(Cover image via CFP)