On Jan. 29, SEPA Vice Minister Li Ganjie met with visiting Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland, Paavo Vayrynen and the delegation he led. They exchanged views on environmental issues of common concern and on bilateral cooperation in the field of environment.

Li Ganjie first expressed warm welcome to their visit and briefed them on the progress of China's environmental efforts. He noted that to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development had become a consensus of international community. The Chinese government has always attached great importance to environmental protection and made it a basic state policy. It has also regarded sustainable development as a basic strategy, took improving environment, promoting harmonious development between man and nature as an important target for realizing a moderately prosperous society in all respects and put forward the important strategic thought of acquiring and applying Scientific Outlook on Development and building a harmonious society. The just-concluded 17th National Congress of CPC put this task at a more important strategic position and proposed to acquire conservation culture and make the industrial structure, growth mode and consumption mode conducive to energy and resource conservation and environmental protection. Meanwhile, China has also taken a series of measures to accelerate its efforts to build a resource efficient and environment-friendly society, particularly for energy conservation, emission reduction and climate change. Therefore the State Council printed and circulated General Work Plan for Energy Conservation and Pollutant Discharge Reduction and China's National Climate Change Program. So far all the work goes well and has produced some results.

Minister Li said as China applied Scientific Outlook on Development, a big market for environmental industry had gradually taken shape. We would like to develop cooperation with Finland in the field of environmental protection and also welcome Finnish environmental enterprises to compete in Chinese market with their advanced concept, environmental technologies and products as well as excellent management methodology. There is great potential for Sino-Finnish environmental cooperation which is perceived to be mutually beneficial and meaningful.

Paavo Vayrynen expressed his appreciation for the efforts China has made in the field of environmental protection. He hoped both sides would enhance exchanges and cooperation in environmental projects and technologies to jointly promote the progress of environmental work.