24.05.2004 09:42:00 GMT Serious challenges to China's...

24.05.2004 09:42:00 GMT
Serious challenges to China's sustainable development in next decade: officials

Beijing. (Interfax-China) - The next ten years will pose serious challenges for China's sustainable development, as many key problems remain unsolved even though China is witnessing rapid economic growth, according to Zuo Xin, the vice director general of the Beijing branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, speaking at the China-EU Sustainable Business CEO Forum that Interfax attended in Beijing.

Zuo listed a series of problems that need to be solved by China in the next ten years. "Among these problems are the increasing aging of the population, the relative shortage of resources, the huge consumption of oil and gas, low production efficiency coupled with high energy consumption, the deterioration of the environment and water supply, and atmosphere pollution, and desertification," said Zuo.

Another government official, Sun Hong, the vice director of the Department of Rural and Social Development under China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), echoed Zuo's view.

"China has become the largest exporter of electronic and textile products and its economy has maintained rapid growth in the last twenty years, but that was at the price of a more rapid consumption of natural resources. China has a vast population and faces a relative shortage of resources. China is making efforts to change its 'world factory' position and strengthen technological innovation," said Sun.

According to a circular distributed by the EU-China Environmental Management Cooperation Program at the forum, China will finish the process of industrialization by around 2020, and in the next 40-50 years, 400 to 500 mln more people will move from the countryside and into the towns and cities. Industrialization and urbanization will pose unprecedented challenges to China's resources, its environment, and its social and economic development.

"For China to achieve sustainable development, MOST has incorporated the development of new technologies and new materials, including various ocean technologies, in its 2001-2010 China Technology Sustainable Development Framework," Sun said.

"Sustainable development is a global task. China has become the second largest trade partner of the European Union in 2003. The cooperation between these two powers with benefit both, especially China, in their sustainable development," continued Sun.

Jurgen Sanders, an adviser for the Science and Technology Delegation of the European Commission, also believes that sustainable growth is a global responsibility.

"Policy makers, private enterprises and the general public shall work together to achieve sustainable growth. China and the EU have many cooperation projects in the science and technology sector. Cooperation between enterprises has begun long before, and government officials are learning from these experiences to form policies," said Sanders.

Eric Baden, President and CEO of Degussa (China) Co., Ltd, added that sustainable growth is the responsibility of every individual.

"Sustainable development is a broad concept, and the closest interpretation is 'responsible care' which can only be achieved if every individual contributes his or her share, every day and everywhere," said Baden.

Baden stressed international cooperation. "We are interacting frequently with companies, customers, suppliers and competitors alike, to share our expertise on a working level. In this regard, we enjoy a close relationship with Sinopec, who have sent six delegations to Degussa in Germany, which have worked with our teams on the economic, social and ecological aspects of sustainable development. We are learning a great deal too from these visits as they allow us to obtain a deeper understanding of the circumstances under which change can occur in China. We are hoping to send our first delegation from Germany to Sinopec this year to foster this two way learning process."