Minister Steffi Lemke is travelling to China for the 7th Sino-German Environment Forum. Visits to BASF and other companies are planned.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke is visiting China from 30 October to 2 November to strengthen German-Chinese cooperation on the environment and nature conservation. On 1 November, Minister Lemke will open the 7th Sino-German Environment Forum in Taicang, meet her Chinese counterpart Huang Runqiu and visit a number of companies in the Shanghai region, including a branch of chemicals concern BASF. An exchange with NGO representatives and a visit to Tongji University in Shanghai are also planned. Accompanying Lemke is a high-level delegation of representatives from industry, the German League for Nature and Environment and the NGO Germanwatch. The Sino-German Environment Forum is the most important bilateral format for the two countries in environmental policy and has been held regularly since 2003.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke remarked: The Sino-German Environment Forum is a well-established platform for sharing ideas and has been delivering valuable insights for many years. Robust environmental protection and nature conservation are major social and economic tasks worldwide. The international community has accomplished much at multilateral level over the past months. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the UN BBNJ agreement and the Global Framework on Chemicals were made possible by close international cooperation on environmental issues. However, in the face of the global crises, agreements on paper are not enough. It is important to me that we now act quickly – and find concrete solutions. At the Environment Forum in Taicang, I will work to ensure that Germany and China use their many years of cooperation on the environment to make progress on sustainable economic models, biodiversity conservation and circular economy.”
The Sino-German Environment Forum is taking place in the Chinese city of Taicang on 1 and 2 November. The theme of this year’s forum is ”Together for green and sustainable development – synergy between tackling pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change”. Over two days, stakeholders from politics, industry, science and civil society will discuss common environmental challenges and explore possible solutions. The Environment Forum is an opportunity for expert exchange and networking, in this way aiming to accelerate the implementation of core environmental policy goals.
At the forum, Federal Environment Minister Lemke will meet Chinese environment minister Huang Runqiu and the Governor of Jiangsu province, Xi Junlin.
The meeting in Taicang is the seventh Sino-German Environment Forum and is jointly organised with the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA). The goal is an exchange of views and ideas on promoting environmental technologies and sustainable production. Taicang, a city near Shanghai, is known for its industrial parks and its sustainable development work. Many small- and medium-sized German companies have locations in the city.
During her visit to China, Federal Environment Minister Lemke will aso attend events outside the forum. These include a visit to the BASF branch site in Shanghai, a tour of the municipal construction waste recycling centre in Taicang, and talks with students at Tongji University in Shanghai. Minister Lemke will also meet with representatives of NGOs.