SEPA Vice Minister Wu Xiaoqing met with a visiting delegation led by Ms. Rakel Hiltunen, Chair of Environmental Committee of Finnish Parliament at State Environmental Protection Administration on Feb. 26. They exchanged views on enhanced cooperation in the field of environmental protection.

Wu Xiaoqing expressed his welcome to Ms. Hiltunen and briefed guests on China's efforts to protect the environment. Wu noted that the Chinese government attached great importance to environmental protection and put forward a series of strategic thoughts and ideas such as Scientific Outlook on Development, building a resource-saving and environment-friendly society and promoting harmonious development among economy, society and nature. To solve the contradiction between rapid economic development and strained natural resources, the government has made major adjustment in environmental policies to improve the work of environmental protection through accelerating the efforts to realize transformation. Environmental protection was put to an important strategic position at the 17th National Congress of CPC concluded last year. The government also proposed to build conservation culture, take environmental protection as a major part of peaceful development and work with all countries in the world for mutual help and joint progress to protect our planet, the only home garden we human beings rely upon. Currently, government at all levels and various sectors are conscientiously implementing General Work Plan for Energy Conservation and Pollutant Discharge Reduction and China's National Climate Change Program, which has produced some positive progress.

Wu Xiaoqing added that the boom of environmental protection cause also brought about many opportunities for environmental industry. He hoped more and more Finnish companies would bring their advanced products and technologies to compete in China's environmental industry market.

Rakel Hiltunen appreciated the progress China has made in its environmental protection cause and express her wishes to further cooperation and exchanges and to jointly promote the development of this undertaking.