First High-Level Dialogue on Sino-German Climate Change and Green Transformation Cooperation Mechanism held in Beijing
During his first visit to China, Robert Habeck, Minister of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), engaged in discussions with China’s Director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Minister of Commerce, and Minister of Industry and Information Technology to address bilateral relations and current issues in economic, energy, and climate policies. Alongside NDRC Director Zheng Shanjie, Minister Habeck co-chaired the first plenary session of the Sino-German Climate and Transformation Dialogue, exploring pathways for ambitious climate policies.
During the dialogue, both sides reviewed past achievements of the cooperation and outlined next steps. Key topics included energy efficiency, circular economy, multilateral climate processes, bilateral climate cooperation, industrial decarbonization, and energy transition. They jointly announced five significant outcomes, including the initiation of two Sino-German cooperation projects:
- Launch of Sino-German Provincial-State Cooperation on Green Transformation, supported by the NDRC and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action,fostering exchanges and cooperation between Jiangsu Province and Baden-Württemberg, and Sichuan Province and North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Agreement on the 2024 Work Plan of the Sino-German Energy Efficiency Working Group by the NDRC and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
- Conclusion of key activities to Implement the Sino-German Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency Dialogue Action Plan by the NDRC and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.
- Establishment of the Sino-German Industrial Decarbonization Working Group by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
- Launch of the Sino-German Energy Efficiency Demonstration Project in Energy-intensive Industries
Within the Sino-German Energy Partnership, China and Germany have continuously strengthened the cooperation in energy transition. Under the framework of the Sino-German Working Group on Energy Efficiency, BMWK and NRDC met annually for bilateral dialogues and policy exchanges. The 9th Sino-German Energy Efficiency Working Group Meeting just took place in Berlin on 24 of May 2024, where both sides discussed the 2024 work plan.
Since 2016, China and Germany have collaborated on implementing demonstration projects on energy efficiency in energy-intensive industries, cities, and energy efficiency networks. These piloting efforts have resulted in significant outcomes:440,200 tons of CO2 emissions reduction annually in cement, ceramics, glass, and paper industries through energy diagnosis; a potential 42% reduction in emissions by 2060 in Jintan Industrial Park in Jiangsu through integrated energy concepts and energy efficiency measures in buildings;, and a 12% reduction in emissions in Taicang High tech industry park in Jiangsu through energy efficiency networks. These initiatives highlight the ongoing commitment of China and Germany to accelerating energy transition and addressing climate change through collaborative efforts.
As the implementation organization for international cooperation on behalf of the German Federal Government, GIZ has been supporting the bilateral political exchanges under the Sino-German Energy Partnership, including implementation of demonstration measures on energy efficiency. In collaboration with German and Chinese partners, GIZ will support the implementation of the two newly launched projects: advancing Sino-German Provincial-State Cooperation and the Sino-German Energy Efficiency Demonstration Project in energy-intensive industries. Additionally, GIZ will continue to support the realization of the 2024 work plan of the Sino-German Working Group on Energy Efficiency.