Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda signed on Wednesday, or May 7th, a six-point Sino-Japanese joint statement on all-round promotion of their strategic and mutual beneficial relations. In the statement both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of energy and environmental protection (EP), and vowed to consider EP as their commitment to the following generations and the international community, signaling a full-fledging China-Japan cooperation in EP has been officially inaugurated.
Time is changing, so is the world at large. Since the new era was ushered in, humanity has been experiencing a historic transformation in production and living styles. The centennial development of industrialization endows humankinds with light, efficiency and convenience, and, meanwhile, also spells hazards and even disasters for the human living space by shrouding the globe with a thick layer of greenhouse gas.
To safeguard the rights for human survival, 149 countries and regions signed in 1992 the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and in 1997, they reached the agreement in signing Kyoto Protocol to regulate the developed counties, the main beneficiaries form industrialization, by setting for them the reduction index on carbon dioxide emissions. By the consensus reached globally, the leading economies such as Japan, Britain, Germany and France immediately set out to build up the 'low-carbon society'.
As a matter of fact, the year 2007 has been defined as 'a year of climate', and in the year the main theme was set on climate with new terms created surrounding the climate theme and soon found popular as contemporary key words; to name a few for example, low-carbon society, climatic order and environmental diplomacy. Considering this, China and Japan, a developing giant and an economic giant in Asia, will have to brace for both the responsibilities and challenges brought about by history.
Both sides, which are deeply concerned about the soaring world oil prices, agreed to continue ministerial-level dialogue on energy policy and explore mutually beneficial cooperation in the field. Due to the fact that Japan has successfully transformed its industrial structure following the previous two oil crises which took place in the last century, it will set a good example in its experience and technology for other Asian countries to follow suits in building up the 'low-carbon society'. Japan's success will also serve as realistic resources to China and lay the foundation for both sides to expand their strategic and mutually beneficial relations.
At present, China's paramount concern is sustainable economic development, to which what matters most is environmental improvement and industrial restructuring. To build up a structure with EP and economic development functioning together is the only way out to materialize China's scientific development. Therefore, China has been seeking to usher in Japan's advanced experience and technology to develop China's EP market so as to jointly breed new industries serving the future and help establish the environmental codes and standards in Asia-Pacific area. This will mark a new starting point for a harmonious Asia, and a momentum for the world's common development, prosperity and stability.
China and Japan agreed to continue research on carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technique to enhance oil recovery, and welcome diagnosis on the energy efficiency and environment friendliness of the iron, steel and concrete industries. They also agreed to strengthen cooperation in electricity-generating nuclear energy. It is estimated that thermal power plants account for 63 percent in China's electricity generation build-up, and therefore the abatement of carbon dioxide emissions proves a pressing issue to tackle. According to the estimations on Japan's side, the size of Asian EP market will have gone up to $2 to 3 trillion dollars as of 2030. It is, hence, expected that the newly forged China-Japan cooperation in EP will spearhead the EP cooperation in Asia and open up a new and brilliant vista in future.
By People's Daily Online
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