Germany and China Strengthen Cooperation on the Energy Transition

On 27 April 2022, the tenth meeting of the Sino-German Working Group on Energy between the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the National Energy Administration of the PRC (NEA) took place virtually. At the meeting, both sides reviewed last year’s progress and achievements of the Sino-German cooperation on energy, and agreed on the working plan for 2022 in the areas of power market reform, power system flexibility, sustainable heating, decentralized energy and green hydrogen.

The meeting marked the first bilateral exchange on energy policies between BMWK and NEA since the German elections and the following restructuring of the German government last year. Ms. Birgit Schwenk, Director General for Climate Action at BMWK, and Ms. Wei Xiaowei, Deputy Director General for International Cooperation at NEA jointly headed the exchange.

Both sides spoke highly of the achievements of the bilateral energy cooperation over the last years. As both countries share a commitment to combat climate change and have set dates to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045 and 2060, in Germany and in China, respectively, both sides expressed their intention to further expand and deepen the cooperation.

Both parties showed large interest in exploring cooperation in the nexus of energy security, energy transition and climate protection. The German side raised the issue of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its implications for German and European (energy) security and international cooperation. To become independent of Russian fossil fuel imports more quickly, Germany will further accelerate its energy transition.

Both sides expressed their interests to develop new cooperation potentials in the areas of green finance, and technical and social aspects of a just energy transition, and strengthen the multilateral cooperation, e.g. in the framework of the G20 or the UNFCCC.

The Sino-German Working Group on Energy is an important cooperation mechanism between both countries set up as part of the Sino-German Forum for Economic and Technological Cooperation. The working group meets once a year to review previous achievements and progresses and to identify areas and activities for future cooperation between BMWK and NEA. The ongoing exchange on energy policies, regulations and technological innovations between Germany and China is key for enhancing both countries’ energy transitions and facilitating fertile business environments in Germany and China.

For more information on the Sino-German Working Group on Energy, please contact:

Ms. Yin Yuxia (yuxia.yin(at)giz.de)

Project Director

Sino-German Energy Partnership, GIZ China