Energy conservation and environmental protection cooperation has become a leader in Sino-Japanese economic and trade cooperation

The comprehensive energy conservation and environmental protection forum is an important platform for Sino-Japanese cooperation. Cooperation in the field of energy conservation and environmental protection is of great significance to strengthening the mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries in the economic field and achieving a win-win situation. Japan also faced problems such as pollution during the period of high-speed development. Japan's response experience and technology have a good reference for China. At the same time, the broad prospects for energy conservation and environmental protection in China also provide a huge market for Japanese companies.

At the 6th China-Japan Energy and Environmental Protection Forum, the newspaper interviewed the National Development and Reform Commission on the development of China's energy conservation and environmental protection industry, future development prospects, and current cooperation and exchanges between China and Japan in energy conservation and environmental protection. Deputy Director Xie Zhenhua.

China's energy-saving and environmental protection products have a huge market potential. Reporter: You introduce the current situation of energy conservation and environmental protection in China.

Xie Zhenhua: Saving resources and protecting the environment are the basic national policies of our country. Although China is a developing country, the energy conservation and emission reduction efforts are rare in the world, and the effectiveness is very significant.

During the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” period, through concerted efforts across the country, we have achieved the energy conservation and emission reduction constraint targets identified in the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” Outline. China’s average annual growth rate of 6.6% in energy consumption has supported an average annual growth of 11.2% in the national economy, which has curbed the momentum of the sharp increase in energy consumption and major pollutant emissions.

First, the elasticity coefficient of energy consumption fell from 1.04 in the “Tenth Five-Year Plan” period to 0.59, saving energy of 630 million tons of standard coal, which provided favorable support for maintaining stable and rapid economic development.

Second, we reversed the trend of accelerated development of industrialization and urbanization in China, and the increase in energy consumption and pollutant emissions per unit of GDP. During the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” period, the energy consumption per unit of GDP in the country fell by 19.1%. The total emissions of sulfur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand across the country dropped by 14.29% and 12.45%, respectively.

Third, the promotion of structural optimization and upgrading, the proportion of advanced production capacity in key industries has increased significantly, and large-scale and high-efficiency equipment has been promoted and applied. Compared with 2005, the proportion of thermal power generating units with a capacity of more than 300,000 kilowatts in the power sector accounts for 47% of the installed capacity of thermal power. The proportion of large-scale blast furnaces in the steel industry above 1,000 cubic meters rose from 21% to 52%.

Fourth, technological progress has been promoted, and the energy consumption of major products in key industries has dropped significantly, and the overall level of energy efficiency has been improved. Compared with 2005, coal consumption for coal-fired power generation dropped from 370 grams per kilowatt-hour to 335 grams, a drop of 9.5%. The comprehensive energy consumption per ton of steel fell from 694 kg of standard coal to 605 kg of standard coal, a decrease of 12.8%.

Fifth, the environmental quality has improved. According to the monitoring of air quality in 113 key environmental protection cities, the proportion of cities reaching the secondary or higher standard in 2010 increased from 42.5% in 2005 to 72.6%.

Sixth, China has made important contributions to climate change. During the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” period, energy savings of 630 million tons of standard coal and emission reduction of 1.46 billion tons of carbon dioxide reflect the image of a responsible big country.

Reporter: The energy conservation and environmental protection industry is one of the most important factors for China's current industrial upgrading. It is also the basis for taking the green and low carbon development road. Please look forward to the development prospects of China's energy-saving and environmental protection-related industries.

Xie Zhenhua: The development of energy-saving and environmental protection industries and the development of a green economy have become major trends in the economic and social development of countries around the world. In responding to the international financial crisis, many developed countries have proposed a green new policy, and have also invested huge funds to support emerging industries such as energy conservation, environmental protection and new energy, and to seize the commanding heights of future development. The energy-saving and environmental protection industry is a strategic emerging industry. Its long industrial chain, high attention, strong employment absorption, and obvious driving force for economic growth are not only a new growth point for maintaining stable and rapid economic development, but also a road to green and low-carbon development. Foundation.

China's energy saving and environmental protection products have a vast market and huge potential. It includes energy-saving industries, resource recycling industries, and environmental protection industries. It involves energy-saving environmental protection technologies and equipment, energy-saving products and services. According to the preliminary forecast, by 2015, the total output value of China's energy-saving and environmental protection industries will reach more than 4 trillion yuan. It absorbs 42 million people in the workforce. During the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” period, China’s energy-saving and environmental protection industry absorbed 28 million people’s employment, and the total output value has reached more than RMB 16,000 million.

Our country regards the energy conservation and environmental protection industry as one of the strategic emerging industries and formulates corresponding policies to encourage its development. Moreover, the “12th Five-Year Plan” is a crucial period for China to build a well-off society in an all-round way. Actively responding to climate change and promoting green and low-carbon development has become an important policy orientation for China’s development, which also provides a solid foundation for the development of energy-saving and environmental protection industries. China's "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" "Outline" clearly states that by 2015 China's energy consumption per unit of GDP will be reduced by 16% compared with 2010, the unit GDP of GDP will be reduced by 17% compared with 2010, and non-fossil energy will be used once. The proportion of energy reached 11.4% and other binding indicators, and proposed the economic growth rate is expected to target 7%, resource output rate increased by 15% and reasonable control of energy consumption policy-oriented. This fully demonstrates China's determination to actively respond to climate change and accelerate the promotion of green and low-carbon development. In order to implement the objectives and tasks set forth in the "Outline", China will strengthen its target responsibilities, optimize industrial structure, optimize energy structure, implement key projects, strengthen energy-saving and low-carbon management, vigorously develop circular economy, accelerate research and development of low-carbon technologies, and improve relevant economies. Policies, rationalization of resource prices, solid advancement of low-carbon pilots, improvement of relevant institutional mechanisms, and other ten aspects to promote green and low-carbon development.

Create a good policy and market environment for domestic and foreign enterprises to participate in competition. Reporter: Please tell us about your overall view on the development of energy conservation and environmental protection in Japan.

Xie Zhenhua: Japan is currently one of the most representative countries in energy conservation and environmental protection industry development. Japan not only has the world's leading energy-saving and environmental protection technologies, but also has years of experience in the export of energy-saving and environmental protection technologies. So far, Japan has exported such related technologies through ODA, and it has become one of the countries that have contributed most to the world's energy conservation and environmental protection field.

Japan's environmental protection industry has developed rapidly in the design and production of clean products. For example, the production of green automobiles and transportation equipment ranks first in the world, and energy-saving products and biotechnology are also targets of the concentrated development of the Japanese environmental protection industry. In addition, Japan’s development in the renewable resources industry has also been at the leading level in the world, and it has established a relatively mature waste material recycling network and trading market. In the machinery and equipment remanufacturing industry, many Japanese companies also have world-leading competitiveness.

In addition, Japan also deserves our reference in the system and system design of energy-saving and environmental protection industries. Japan has established a comprehensive environmental protection legislation system and implemented it strictly, implementing incentive industrial technology policies. Judging from the implementation results, Japan’s overall policy measures have stimulated the development and investment of energy-saving, recycling equipment and products, and increased the enthusiasm of companies to develop the environmental protection industry.

Reporter: Energy conservation and environmental protection and climate change are the focus of the current international community. Especially after the outbreak of the financial crisis, many countries have adopted energy saving, environmental protection, and new energy industries as new measures to lift economic hardship and promote new economic development. Through cooperation with other countries, what are the practical effects and significance of the realization of the new engine of energy saving and environmental protection in China?

Xie Zhenhua: After years of efforts, China has accumulated experience in energy conservation and emission reduction, but has also found new problems. As a big developing country still in the middle stage of industrialization, how to use energy-saving and emission reduction as a starting point, change the mode of economic development and achieve structural upgrading, there are many deep-rooted institutional and institutional issues that need to be addressed. Learning from and learning from many advanced technologies and management experiences in advanced countries in energy conservation and emission reduction in the world will help promote the healthy development of China's energy conservation and environmental protection industry.

At present, China has successively conducted international cooperation with the European Union, Japan, the United States, South Korea and other countries and regions in energy conservation and environmental protection projects, energy-saving personnel training and circular economy. For example, under the mechanism of the China-US Strategic Economic Dialogue, an energy efficiency working group was established with the United States. Infineon, the United States, Philips of the Netherlands, and other international energy giants have also gradually entered China and launched various energy conservation and environmental protection projects. Another example is the cooperation with Japan, only in the Sino-Japanese energy and environmental protection comprehensive forum platform cooperation, the first five sessions between China and Japan signed a cooperation of 120 projects, this time there will be more than 50 projects signed.

At present, China has adopted the green industry and energy conservation and environmental protection industries as the key areas for absorbing and utilizing foreign investment. On the one hand, we must continue to guide domestic enterprises through cooperation with foreign investment to upgrade China's strategic emerging industries' original innovation capabilities, integrated innovation capabilities, and introduce new capabilities for digestion and absorption. Support domestic enterprises and overseas enterprises to jointly develop key technologies for commonality, develop new products, and transform scientific and technological achievements into practical productivity so as to promote the development of China's energy conservation and environmental protection industry. On the other hand, we must also create a favorable policy environment and market environment for the development and competition of domestic and overseas companies. The first is to accelerate the implementation of key projects and capacity building to form the most direct and effective demand for energy-saving and environmental protection industries. The second is to improve the policy system and improve the incentive mechanism. Deepen the reform of resource product prices and rationalize the relationship between resource prices for coal, electricity, oil, gas, water, and mineral resources. The punitive electricity price shall be applied to enterprises and products whose energy consumption exceeds the national and regional standards for energy consumption (power consumption) per unit product. Strict implementation of desulfurization price, research and development of coal power plant flue gas out of power policy. Further improve the sewage treatment fee policy and study the sludge treatment costs gradually incorporated into the sewage treatment costs. Reform waste disposal fees, increase collection efforts, and reduce collection costs. The third is to strengthen financial support and tax incentives for energy conservation and environmental protection projects. Highlight technological innovation. In the areas of improving energy efficiency, clean utilization of coal, and pollution control, we have overcome a number of key and common technologies, accelerated the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, demonstration of industrialization, and the promotion and application of advanced and mature technologies, and strengthened intellectual property protection. Fourth, improve the service system and optimize the market environment. Promote contract energy management mechanisms, encourage various construction and operation modes such as BOT, improve access standards, and create a fair market environment for enterprises.

Cooperation with Japan is complementary, and it will surely bear fruitful results. Reporter: In the international exchanges with other countries in the field of energy conservation and environmental protection, please explain the status and significance of the China-Japan Comprehensive Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Forum.

Xie Zhenhua: After entering the path of rapid growth, China has faced increasing pressure on energy and environmental protection. Therefore, China's twelfth "Five-year Plan" will regard the energy-saving and environmental protection industry as a strategic emerging industry. To this end, it will actively strengthen national cooperation and introduce overseas technology. China and Japan have strong complementarity in environmental protection technologies and markets. "Energy conservation and environmental protection" cooperation is the most realistic demand currently facing China and Japan. Japan’s advanced technologies in the field of energy conservation and environmental protection and China’s vast market in this regard have created the best possible space for cooperation between the two countries’ economic and trade cooperation and have produced the most fruitful results.

Since China and Japan established the comprehensive energy conservation and environmental protection forum in May 2006, they have been held in China and Japan every year. Even if interference occurred during the period, the "Forum" has never been interrupted. Both countries have jointly developed energy-saving and environmental protection cooperation. It can be said that energy-saving and environmental protection cooperation has become the vanguard of Sino-Japanese economic and trade cooperation.

"Energy conservation and environmental protection" cooperation is still the consensus of the two governments. So far, people have seen that whether Japan’s former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda’s visit to China or President Hu Jintao’s visit to Japan, plus Premier Wen Jiabao’s “ice-thawing trip” or “environmental energy” cooperation, especially green energy conservation and environmental protection cooperation are both One of the points in the consensus and declaration reached at the high-level meeting. It is precisely because of the high level of consensus that China and Japan have established extremely smooth cooperation channels for energy conservation and environmental protection cooperation.

China Economic Herald: Apart from the "China-Japan Environment Forum", what measures has China taken to promote the cooperation and exchange between China and Japan in the field of energy conservation and environmental protection?

Xie Zhenhua: The first is to improve the dialogue mechanism and enhance mutual communication and mutual trust. The two sides should actively carry out energy conservation and environmental protection dialogues under the framework of summit meetings, high-level economic dialogues, climate change policy dialogues, and China-Japan energy conservation and environmental protection comprehensive forums, to promote the institutionalization, regularization, multifacetedness, and multi-level of dialogue.

The second is to create a good environment and promote pragmatic cooperation. The two sides have signed a joint communiqué to promote cooperation in the field of environmental energy, and continue to strengthen the memorandum of cooperation in the field of energy conservation and environmental protection. We must take practical measures to fully implement and achieve substantial progress. We must establish a forum for energy conservation and environmental protection and deepen the pragmatic cooperation of enterprises. Strengthen the promotion of energy conservation and environmental protection demonstration projects, accelerate the implementation of major energy conservation projects, waste incineration power generation, sewage sludge treatment, recycling economy, green buildings, new energy vehicles and other projects. Japan welcomes participation in China's energy conservation and environmental protection industry through various means such as investment, joint research and development, technical exchanges, and personnel training.

Third, deepen bilateral cooperation and jointly meet challenges. We must play an active role in addressing global challenges such as climate change, the environment, and energy.

The first five sessions of the China-Japan Comprehensive Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Comprehensive Forum were held in Tokyo, Japan, in May 2006. The forum includes a general assembly, a special forum, and an inspection. Bo Xilai, Minister of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, Jiang Weixin, Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, Wang Yi, Ambassador to Japan, Junichi Miyoshi, Minister of the Japanese Ministry of Economy and Trade, Yuriko Koike, Minister of Environment, and Qian Shookang, President of the Japan-China Economic Association, respectively, presented at the conference. Gave a speech. At that time, the Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party and the upcoming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other important figures from other Japanese political circles attended the reception and addressed the reception of the Chinese delegation. The forum signed five cooperation projects. At the special forum, representatives from China and Japan conducted in-depth discussions on six topics including energy conservation policies and regulations, energy conservation service industries, iron and steel, building materials, renewable energy, and automobiles. The two sides participated in the Forum representing more than 800 people, of whom nearly 300 were from China and 500 from Japan.

The second forum was held in Beijing in September 2007. The forum includes four parts: the main forum, sub-forums, technical exchanges, and inspection activities. Zeng Peiyan, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the opening ceremony and delivered an important speech. Before the opening ceremony, he met with some Japanese representatives. At the main forum, Ma Kai, Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, Wei Jianguo, Vice Minister of Commerce, and Gan Liming, Minister of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan delivered keynote speeches. The Ministry of Construction, Shenyang Municipal People's Government, Japan-China Economic Association, and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Energy and Resources Representatives of the Office, the China-Japan Energy Saving and Environmental Protection Business Demonstration Project Promotion Committee and other departments made speeches. The forum signed 10 cooperation projects. The two sides participated in the Forum representing nearly 1,000 people, including 450 from China and 550 from Japan. At the sub-forum, representatives from China and Japan exchanged opinions on eight topics including electricity, automobiles, steel, electrical machinery and transformers, environmental protection, energy conservation policies, building energy conservation, and Sino-Japanese long-term trade agreements.

The third forum was held in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2008. The forum includes three parts: the main forum, sub-forums and corporate visits. Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission; Jiang Yaoping, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce; Cui Tiankai, ambassador to Japan; Junichi Seiji, minister of the Japanese Ministry of Economics and Trade; Masaaki Yoshino, deputy minister of the Ministry of the Environment; Zhang Fujifu, chairman of the Japan-China Economic Association, attended the main forum and released Speech. The two sides participated in the main forum representing more than 1,050 people, of whom 250 were from China and 800 from Japan. The forum signed 19 cooperation projects. In the same period, Japan also held a small-scale exhibition. At the sub-forum, representatives of China and Japan conducted in-depth discussions on seven topics including energy conservation in the chemical industry, circular economy, fuel-saving and energy-saving diagnosis, desalination and water treatment, energy efficiency for power generation, energy-saving vehicles, and urban sludge treatment. The Chinese delegation organized 11 inspection routes under the Japanese arrangement and inspected more than 40 enterprises and industrial parks in Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, and Hokkaido.

The fourth forum was held in Beijing in November 2009. The forum includes three parts: the main forum, sub-forum, and inspection activities. Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. During the meeting, he also met with some representatives of the Japanese side. At the main forum, Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, and Naoshima Masahiro, minister of the Japanese Ministry of Economic Affairs and Trade delivered keynote speeches. Vice Minister of Commerce Chen Jian, Deputy Minister of Finance Zhang Shaochun, Vice Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie, and Vice President of the Japan-China Economic Association Chairman Masao Mitsumura, Director of the Department of Resources and Energy of Japan's Ministry of Industry and Commerce Ishida Toru and Vice Chairman of the Japan-China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Commercial Demonstration Project Promotion Committee, Nan Zhibiao made a speech. The forum signed 42 cooperation projects. The two sides participated in the Forum representing nearly 1,000 people, including 440 from China and 560 from Japan. At the sub-forum, the representatives of China and Japan exchanged in-depth exchanges on policies, technologies, etc. on seven issues including the leader system, circular economy, seawater desalination and water treatment, automobiles, power generation and coal, chemical industry, and China-Japan-Japan-Japan long trade. Discussed ways and means of cooperation. Before the forum was held, Japan organized eight delegations to visit nine cities in China for business and technology inspections.

The fifth forum was held in Tokyo, Japan in October 2010. The forum includes three parts: the main forum, sub-forums and corporate visits. Zhang Xiaoqiang, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, Jiang Yaoping, deputy minister of the Ministry of Commerce, and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan? Zhang Hong, Japan’s Minister of the Environment, Shoichi Kondo, and Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua attended the opening ceremony. More than 1,200 officials and experts from China and Japan participated in the forum, signed demonstration projects including resource recycling and low-carbon technology cities, intelligent transportation information systems, energy-saving diagnosis of coal-fired power plants, and zero-emissions technology for urban waste water and sewage. 44 cooperation projects. The forum held discussions and exchanges on eight topics including semiconductor lighting and building energy conservation, circular economy, waste water treatment, automobiles, low-carbon (carbon capture and storage), energy, SME energy conservation, and China-Japan-Japan long-distance trade. The Chinese delegation conducted an inspection tour of Japanese companies under the arrangement of the Japanese delegation in nine inspections. The previous session of China-Japan Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Comprehensive Forum.