Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action in Beijing:

“Yesterday and today I had fruitful discussions with the Chinese authorities and stakeholders on international negotiations and on enhancing the EU-China dialogue and cooperation on climate change.

The joint statement issued today together with Mr Xie Zhenhua, Vice Chairman of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), to establish regular contacts at high level and between experts is a further step forward towards a closer cooperation. Minister Xie Zhenhua and I expressed our support to the Copenhagen Accord and we will promote the reflexion of the Accord’s political agreements in the UN negotiation process. For the next climate change conference in Cancún later this year, we agree that the goal must be to reach a positive outcome.”

• Joint Statement by Connie Hedegaard and Xie Zhenhua (attached)
• Photos soon available: http://ec.europa.eu/avserviCES/PHOTO/REPORTAGE.cfm?sitelang=en
• For audiovisual media: you can download Commissioner Hedegaard’s statement on her visit to Beijing under the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/avserviCES/EBS/SCHEDule.cfm?page=1∓date=04/29/2010

Joint Statement on Dialogue and Cooperation on Climate Change

We, Xie Zhenhua , Vice-Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of the People’s Republic of China, and Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, met on 29 April 2010 at the occasion of the visit of a high level delegation of the European Commission to China.

We reaffirmed the principle of common and differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, and the aim for the full, effective and sustained implementation of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. We recognized and appreciated each other’s efforts to address climate change and its impacts. We reiterated our support to the Copenhagen Accord as an important political document and we will promote the reflection of the Accord’s political agreements in the UN negotiating process. We agreed to step up our joint efforts and work closely in the two Ad Hoc Working Groups under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, in accordance with the Bali Roadmap, to reach a positive outcome and meaningful progress, at the next climate change conference, which will take place in Cancún at the end of 2010.

Building on the EU and China Partnership and the Joint Declaration on Climate Change signed at the 2005 EU-China Summit, and following the agreement at the 2009 EU-China Summit to enhance coordination and cooperation on climate change, we agreed to further strengthen policy dialogue and result-oriented China-EU cooperation.

We agreed to establish a regular dialogue on climate change, at our level, to deepen mutual understanding, strengthen coordination, enhance practical cooperation and exchange of views.

We also agreed to establish a Climate Change Hotline, at our level, to facilitate an expedited exchange of views and sharing of information on new developments related to climate change.

Our dialogue will be supported by consultations at our senior officials’ level as well as discussions at working level. These include an exchange of views on critical issues in international negotiations on climate change and domestic policies and measures, as well as the formulation and implementation of concrete cooperation projects on climate change.