China, US sign protocol on clean energy for 2008 Olympics

Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Xu Guanhua, Beijing Vice-Mayor Fan Boyuan and US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham recently signed a protocol to jointly develop clean energy technologies for the 2008 Olympics.

By signing the document, China and the United States specified that they would strengthen cooperation in 11 areas, including efficient use of natural gas, fuel cell, energy project landscaping in Olympic villages, energy efficiency demonstration projects, water quality, intellectualized transport, energy efficiency, air quality, weather forecast, purified coal technology and closer partnership between Beijing and Chicago.

Both China and the United States are faced with energy-saving to avert environmental problems.

At part of its bid for the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing vowed to save energy and clean its environment.

Together with Beijing municipal government, the ministry set up plans boosting environment-friendly technologies in Beijing.

Since 2002, the Chinese and US sides have jointly organized meetings and visits on energy-saving technologies.

Sino-US energy-saving building completed

An energy-saving building was also completed recently, showing the latest partnership between China and the United States in science and technology.

Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Xu Guanhua and visiting US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham attended the project completion ceremony.

According to an agreement reached by the two governments in July 1998, the two sides cooperated with each other in building the energy efficiency demonstration project.

The building, with a floor space of 13,000 sq. m, consumes only 40 per cent of the daily energy used by most commercial buildings.

After the ceremony, Xu and Abraham held talks on closer partnership between the two countries on developing energy-saving technologies.

The two senior officials said that both China and the United States are challenged with problems on energy consumption and environmental protection.

They agreed that more bilateral cooperation and consultation on those issues would meet interests of both sides.

BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific