Russia, China Mounting Environmental Cooperation

MOSCOW. June 26 (Interfax) – Russia and China have made substantial progress in environmental cooperation, Russian Natural Resources and Ecology Minister Yuri Trutnev told the media on Thursday. He was commenting on the third meeting of the environmental cooperation sub-commission.

“Russia-China environmental cooperation has changed drastically over the past two years,” he said.

Trutnev stressed the importance of the bilateral agreement on the protection and rational use of transboundary water resources and China’s drafting of long-term plans to clean up the Sungari River.

“Since the agreement was signed, there have been no serious threat to transboundary water resources,” Trutnev said.

“Not only citizens but also the Chinese government care about Sungari,” Chinese Environmental Protection Minister Zhou Shengxian said.

“After the accident [of 2005] the government adopted a long-term cleanup plan and declared an improvement of the Sungari environmental status within 15 years,” he said.

Inspections show that measures have been efficient, Zhou said.

“Russia and China think alike about environmental issues,” Trutnev said. “Our work will be efficient and bring benefit to our ecology and peoples.”

Zhou thanked Trutnev for condolences and aid given after the May 12 devastating earthquake in China.

He also invited Trutnev and other members of the Russian delegation to visit China. “We would be glad to welcome you at the Olympiad this August,” he said.

(c) 2008 Daily News Bulletin; Moscow – English. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.