European Chamber meets with Commissioner Ms. Ferrero-Waldner Go back »

2007-01-18 | Beijing

European Chamber meets with European Commissioner Ms. Ferrero-Waldner

On January 16, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China held a roundtable meeting with Ms. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy, with the topic of Sustainability of the Chinese Model: Environment, Energy, Social issues, Global Trade and Financial Imbalances. Mr. Serge Janssens de Varebeke, President of the Chamber and other specialists from the organisation’s Working Groups in the relevant areas participated the discussion.

Energy and environment were the key issues raised at the meeting. Mr. Joerg Wuttke, Vice President of the European Chamber and Chief Representative of BASF China, covered these issues from the perspectives of market and energy efficiency as well as environmental protection. He stated that with regard to gas pricing China will increasingly follow the international price also in order to secure LNG (liquefied natural gas) supply. Subsidies are expensive and China cannot support them forever. Waste of energy is a serious problem and China could avoid building a lot of new power stations by simply improving energy efficiency. Demand for energy saving equipment and energy saving systems provides opportunities for European companies with technology and expertise in this field.

Ms. Ferrero-Waldner said that she saw great openness and great opportunities from the Chinese side during her visit to China and talks with Chinese officials. She mentioned development opportunities for other energies such as wind power, solar power and bio fuel.

To raise energy efficiency and cut green house emissions has become one of the top priorities of the Chinese government. More relevant law and regulations are now in place, which Ms. Ferrero-Waldner believed to be a positive step. Meanwhile, the enforcement of the law and regulations need to be improved. Energy players are also encouraged to go to the inland and west area of the country. The concept of “green GDP” has been introduced. Measurement of local governments’ performance will not only focus on the amount of FDI (foreign direct investment) introduced but environment protection will also become an important criteria.

A majority percentage of power stations in China are generated by coal. The country has a large coal reserve however the waste from coal power is a serious problem. The country is seeking clean coal projects while looking for technology and expertise to clean energy supplies. For the sake of environmental protection and energy security, diversification of energy resources and diversification of energy supply have become necessary. Natural gas and nuclear power are also important areas to develop to serve this purpose.

Ms. Ferrero-Waldner appreciated the opinions of the specialists from the European Chamber’s Working Groups, who are actually practicing in the relevant areas. The commissioner praised the hard work that the European Chamber has done and she encouraged the Chamber to expand further into more sectors.