Administrator Works to Advance Partnerships with China
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson joined other Bush Administration cabinet members for meetings with senior Chinese officials during the fifth session of the US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED V), on Dec. 4-5 in Beijing. Johnson also used the visit to advance cooperation with public and private environmental partners in China.
Johnson began his trip in Shanghai with a roundtable discussion of U.S. and Chinese business leaders on the importance of sound environmental regulation and consistent enforcement in helping the business community be good environmental stewards. Later, he addressed a student forum at Tongji University about the close link between economic performance and environmental quality, and the role of business in implementing good environmental policies in China.
From Shanghai, Johnson traveled to Xi'an in central China for meetings with officials of the Northwest Regional Supervision Center (RSC) and the provincial Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB). Six RSCs have been created since 2002 by the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection to assist provincial environmental officials in promoting good environmental practices and proper enforcement of environmental laws and regulations. Johnson shared lessons from the United States regarding the working partnership between EPA regional offices and local governments.
Johnson concluded his visit in Beijing, where he met with members of both the U.S. and Chinese Business Councils for Sustainable Development (BCSDs). The members highlighted progress on a memorandum of understanding with EPA on clean development, including the improved environmental performance by China's cement companies, which produce about half of the world's total cement.
For more information, visit http://epa.gov/international/regions/Asia/index.html.