Canada and China Discuss the Future of Global Climate Change Action

BEIJING, China, August 30, 2005 - The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Canada’s Environment Minister, today concluded meeting with counterparts from the government of the People’s Republic of China in which parties discussed preparations for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Montreal and furthering environmental cooperation between the two countries.

“As Canada’s partner on environmental cooperation for almost 20 years, and as a fellow signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, gaining China’s viewpoints on immediate improvement as well as the long term approach to climate change is crucial for success,” said Minister Dion. “Our discussions contribute to Canada’s ongoing preparations to listen to the thoughts of various countries in different stages of development to ensure the discussion in Montreal gets off on the right foot.”

On August 29 and 30, Minister Dion met with Shen Guofang, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, China’s State Environmental Protection Minister Xie Zhenhua and Vice Minister Pan Yue, representatives of All China Environmental Federation, and National Development and Reform Commission Vice Minister Jiang Weixin

Minister Dion shared Canada’s vision of the Montreal Climate Change Conference and gained China’s views on how a post-2012 framework may:

• ensure economic growth for industrialized, emerging and developing countries;
• promote the development and use of innovative emissions-reducing technologies;
• build a robust international carbon market that rewards results; and
• tackle adaptation with a level of effort commensurate with its growing significance.

The parties’ discussions follow January 2005’s joint resolution to address the problem of global warming as expressed during bilateral discussions held in Beijing between the Right Honourable Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Wen Jiabao. Climate change discussions will be on the agenda when the President of China, Hu Jintao meets the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers on September 9^th, as part of his official visit to Canada on September 8-17, 2005.

For more information, please contact:

André Lamarre
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of the Environment
(819) 997-1441

Sébastien Bois
Media Relations
Environment Canada
(819) 953-4016

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