SEPA Minister Zhou Shengxian met with Connie Hedegaard, the visiting Danish Minister of Environment in Beijing on September 10. Both sides exchanged views on cleaner energy, environmental economic policies, climate change and other areas.

Mr. Zhou introduced the latest development of the country's environmental protection work. He said that the 6th National Conference on Environmental Protection marked a new era when the economic growth will be optimized by the environmental protection, which means to earnestly upgrade the environmental protection level by moving faster to achieve the historical transformations. Over the past year, the government has enhanced its leadership, intensified the policies and measures, established a leading group on energy saving and emissions reduction that is headed by Premier Wen Jiabao, released the Integrated Working Plan for Energy Saving and Emissions Reduction, and tried to hit the targets set out in the 11th Five-Year Plan to cut down emissions by economic restructuring and the shift of economic growth modes. In responses to climate change, the government issued China National Climate Change Programme in recent days and would contribute more to addressing climate change through effective policy measures. At present, various policies measures targeted at environmental protection are being implemented in an all-round way with some results: in the first six months, the total amount of SO2 emissions declined for the first time in years, and the growth rate of COD emissions also dropped sharply. "We believe the country's environmental protection work will make greater progress under the leadership of the government and the concerted efforts of all walks of life, including our Administration", said Mr. Zhou.

Mr. Zhou indicated that China and Denmark had been in good ties in the environment field. He was glad to witness the signing of the bilateral agreement on environmental protection and hoped that both sides would work together to make bilateral cooperation more practical and impressive.

Ms. Hedegaard appreciated the relentless efforts of China in protecting the environment, saying that the policy measures proposed by China on environmental protection are logical and strategic. As environmental issues are the common concern of Chinese and Danish people, she hoped that both sides would have closer ties, share the experience, and work together to promote the development of environmental protection cause.