"The World and Japan" Database (Project Leader: TANAKA Akihiko)
Database of Japanese Politics and International Relations
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS); Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia (IASA), The University of Tokyo

[Title] Remarks at U.S.-China EcoPartnerships Signing Ceremony

[Place] Washington, DC
[Date] May 10, 2011
[Source] U.S. Department of State
[Notes]
[Full text]

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I am delighted to welcome you to the Treaty Room this morning for such a special occasion. I especially want to thank our Chinese guests who have flown here to be part of the third Strategic and Economic Dialogue. Minister Xie Zhenhua and Director General Ma Xin as well as all the other Chinese colleagues are most welcome. And of course, I want to welcome all of our American eco-partners who have also come from across our country to sign these landmark agreements. I want to thank Assistant Secretary Kerri-Ann Jones and Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern and our Special Representative for Governmental Interactions Rita Jo Lewis.

We are very committed to this relationship, and we know it needs to expand beyond the government-to-government conversations. We need to harness the unique skills of both of our cities, our states, our universities, our private companies, our civil societies to find solutions to common problems. That is especially true when it comes to clean energy, energy security, environmental stability, and climate change. Both of our countries have companies that are developing new and exciting technologies, universities that are doing groundbreaking research, and local governments that have unique perspectives on the community environmental issues they face which can have a global impact.

This EcoPartnership program was founded to bring these groups together to share best practices, foster innovation, and encourage sustainable development. Already, the original group of seven eco-partners has generated results, and today, we are admitting six new groups of exciting and promising partners to the list. All of these collaborations have the potential to help us solve some of our most profound environmental challenges and, at the same time, create new jobs in both of our countries. I am confident that these new collaborations will yield innovative solutions, and I look forward to learning more about the results of your work. When it comes to the green economy, local partnerships can have a global impact.

Let me now introduce Assistant Secretary Kerri-Ann Jones, and again, thank you all for being part of this exciting venture.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY JONES: Thank you, Madam Secretary. Thank you for your support. It’s my honor to now invite Minister Xie, the vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, to say a few words.

Minister.

MINISTER XIE: (Via interpreter.) Dear colleagues, dear friends, good morning. Just now, Secretary Clinton taking her time out during the busy time of the third round of China-U.S. Economic and Strategic Dialogue, and attending our ceremony. That’s fully demonstrating her – and her – the importance she attached to the China-U.S. energy, environment, and the climate change cooperation.

In order to enhance our cooperation in the area of energy, environment, and the climate change, the U.S. and China Government have signed the ten-year framework for cooperation on energy and the environment. Under this TYF framework, we have the EcoPartnership, which is a very innovative and green cooperation mechanism, and it has provided a very good lab and cooperation platform for the provinces and states of both countries, for the cities, for the universities, for the public and the private sectors of both countries to carry out their cooperation in the area of the policy initiatives, innovative technology, and the concept in the sector of energy, environment, and the climate change. Since the establishment of the first group of seven pairs of eco-partners in the end of 2008, they have carried out very innovative and cooperate – and positive cooperation in the areas of energy efficiency, clean energy, new energy, eco and environmental protection.

Today, we have another new six partners signing their statement of intent here. I welcome and congratulate them for joining this big family of eco-partners, and I look forward to innovative cooperation from them so as to make a contribution to the greener, cleaner, low-carbon future of both countries as well as to contribute to the greener future of the human beings. Thank you.