China, US agree transition to green, low-carbon economy essential

• Source: Xinhua
• [14:19 November 17 2009]
• Comments

The two sides welcomed the launch of China-US Electric  Vehicles Initiative designed to put millions of electric vehicles  on the roads of both countries in the years ahead, the statement  said.   

Building on significant investments in electric vehicles in  both the United States and China, the two governments announced a program of joint demonstration projects in more than a dozen  cities, along with work to develop common technical standards to  facilitate rapid scale-up of the industry, the statement said,  adding that the two sides agreed that their countries share a  strong common interest in the rapid deployment of clean vehicles.   

About 21st century coal technologies, the two countries agreed  to promote cooperation on large-scale carbon capture and  sequestration (CCS) demonstrations projects and begin work  immediately on the development, deployment, diffusion and transfer of CCS technology. The two sides welcomed recent agreements  between Chinese and US companies, universities and research  institutions to cooperate on CCS and more efficient coal  technologies.   

With regard to joint efforts on tackling the climate change,  the two sides welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of  Cooperation between the National Development and Reform Commission of China and Environmental Protection Agency of the United States  to Build Capacity to Address Climate Change.   

The statement said the two sides welcomed the launch of a  China-US Renewable Energy Partnership, through which the two  countries will chart a pathway to wide-scale deployment of wind,  solar, advanced bio-fuels and a modern electric power grid in both countries and cooperate in designing and implementing the policy  and technical tools necessary to make that vision possible.   

Shared confidence on the bilateral cooperation in this field  was expressed by the statement, which said that given the combined market size of the two countries, accelerated deployment of  renewable energy in China and the United States can significantly  reduce the cost of these technologies globally.   

On the promotion of the peaceful use of nuclear energy, the two sides agreed to consult with one another in order to explore such  approaches--including assurance of fuel supply and cradle-to-grave nuclear fuel management so that countries can access peaceful  nuclear power while minimizing the risks of proliferation.