E3G

EU-China Interdependencies: Praise for low carbon proposals

By E3G Admin

The 28th February saw the Beijing launch of the ‘Changing Climates’ report from the EU-China Interdependencies project of which E3G is a member.

Since then, interest has continued to grow in the specific proposals put forward.

The journal Chemistry World has reported on the proposals, and includes quotes from our Chinese partner institutions:

Pan Jiahua of CASS, a senior advisor to the Chinese government on climate policy, welcomes the report, saying that low-carbon economic zones and joint research and development (R&D) can help solve the high-cost problems faced by developing nations in the transfer of climate-friendly technologies.

Jiang Kejun of the Energy Research Institute in Beijing, an author of part of the Chatham House report, points out that intellectual property right (IPR) issue poses a barrier to technology transfer from EU to China.

‘It is unrealistic to expect EU automobile companies to endow their technologies without reasonable charges,’ Jiang told Chemistry World. ‘But joint R&D between China and EU, both on public and commercial levels, towards the next generation of electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles can help the two sides overcome the IPR challenge from the beginning.’

Pan adds that for the chemical industry, cooperation between EU and China can create significant business opportunities. The industry could benefit both from its own energy efficiency improvements, he says, and by supplying the products used to improve other sectors’ energy efficiency - such as the catalysts and membranes used in clean coal technology.