'The 2nd Korea-China Annual Environment Ministers' Meeting' Held
Promotion of Carbon Neutral Policy and Technology Exchange Council
Minister Jo Myung-rae: "Continued Substantial Cooperation with China"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The environment ministers of South Korea and China have pledged to strongly implement measures to tackle high concentrations of fine dust during the winter season. They also agreed to promote a policy and technology exchange council to achieve a carbon-neutral society.
On the 11th, Minister of Environment Cho Myung-rae discussed ways to strengthen environmental cooperation between the two countries with Minister Huang Runqiu of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment during the '2nd Korea-China Annual Environment Ministers' Meeting' held via video conference between Seoul and Beijing.
This meeting is significant as it is the first held after both countries declared carbon neutrality this year and takes place ahead of the high-concentration fine dust season.
Previously, in February last year, during the Korea-China Environment Ministers' Meeting held in China, both countries agreed to regularize an annual high-level policy consultation. In November of the same year, they held the 1st meeting and signed the Cheongcheon (Blue Sky) Project, the highest-level cooperation plan in the air quality sector.
At this meeting, both countries agreed to strengthen coordination between South Korea's Seasonal Management System (December to March) and China's Autumn-Winter Measures (October to March), and to promote a policy and technology exchange council to achieve a carbon-neutral society.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, they evaluated the smooth implementation of the Cheongcheon Project and pledged to do their best in responding to fine dust as a Northeast Asian respiratory community.
They agreed to vigorously implement this year's fine dust seasonal management measures and to enhance cooperation in areas such as reduction projects and forecast exchanges.
Furthermore, based on the carbon neutrality declarations of South Korea and China, both countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in responding to the climate crisis, including the Green New Deal. They also agreed to promote a policy and technology exchange council to achieve a carbon-neutral society.
They shared the recognition of the importance of international cooperation and solidarity to overcome COVID-19 and the climate and environmental crises. They agreed to strengthen cooperation on the international stage, including at the '15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity' to be held in Kunming, China, in May next year, and the '2nd Green Growth and Global Goal 2030 Partnership (P4G) Summit' scheduled to be held in South Korea in the first half of next year.
Minister Cho Myung-rae emphasized, "Blue skies are a daily necessity that we must protect for our people exhausted by COVID-19," adding, "We will continue practical cooperation with China to remove fine dust and overcome the climate crisis."
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