XJTLU Expert: EU and China keen to cooperate on climate governance

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Jul 15, 2021, 07:10 ET

SUZHOU, China, July 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr Evans Fanoulis, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Assistant Professor in International Relations, will refer to the EU's climate change actions during his presentation on the EU's innovation priorities at the 3rd Global Summit on Manufacturing Outsourcing in Changchun, China, 19-20 July.

"China and EU have so far developed joint projects and synergies regarding climate change, pollution and the environment," Dr Fanoulis says. "There are joint ministerial and high-level dialogues devoted to climate change and environmental issues within the framework of the EU-China strategic partnership. There is considerable cooperation on these crucial issues.

"Both sides are keen on working together regarding global climate governance. To this end, China and EU have agreed to jointly commit to the Paris Agreement on climate change."

EU's collaboration with China on innovation was particularly emphasized in the 2020 Strategic Agenda, a 2013 agreement between the two partners establishing synergies in different policy areas.

"Within the context of the EU-China strategic partnership, the EU has already funded projects on research, innovation and scientific development," Dr Fanoulis says.

"My hunch is that the EU and China will keep on working closely and devise innovative solutions to problems like climate change and further explore collaborative initiatives in other fields, such as education and public health, also due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis."

In his presentation, Dr Fanoulis will also refer to the EU's trade and industrial policies, the EU's investment on research and innovation and the EU-China collaboration in other key areas.

China and the European Union have productively collaborated in recent years, with focus on food and agricultural products, water management, health, education, disaster risk management, climate change and environmental protection.

Now, climate and environmental policy will come to the forefront given the EU's 14 July announcement of its sweeping "Fit for 55" plan to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions. The plan released by the European Commission, the EU's executive body, details how the 27 EU countries can meet a collective goal to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 by 55% of 1990 levels. The ultimate goal—net-zero emissions by 2050.

The summit is sponsored by the Changchun and Jilin province authorities and partners include the World Trade Organisation, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Volkswagen, BMW, Pfizer, and Baidu.