Firms keen on China-US green cooperation

Representatives of both US and Chinese companies have stressed cooperation on green development, hoping the two countries can lead the world in this field.

They made the remarks at a seminar themed "US-China enterprises on green development cooperation" on Jan 19.

Speaking at the seminar, Zhang Hua, director of the China International Youth Exchange Center, said promoting green development is a shared responsibility of both Chinese and US companies.

It not only contributes to the healthy and stable development of Sino-US relations, but also helps advance global climate governance, he said.

Michael Hart, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said AmCham China represents nearly 1,000 member companies all across China and they understand well the opportunities in China.

"It is great that we can continue to work together on commerce", he said. "It is even more important that we can find ways for our two countries to lead the world in examples of how we can cooperate on green development."

Representatives of US and Chinese companies also shared their experiences in the areas of energy transition, green technology innovation, green supply chains and circular economy.

The company representatives said that, while there is competition between China and the US in the field of technology, it is hoped that companies from both countries can work toward a common goal of green development and a better planet.

A Dell representative said that when it comes to green transition, the upstream and downstream of the industry must also be considered. "Many of our supply chains are in China, so we are supporting our suppliers to make a better transition to green."

A Xiaomi representative said the company also hopes to build a close industrial chain and create a green and sustainable ecosystem through international cooperation.

The concern is that green sustainability and energy efficiency are not always closely aligned with a company's core business, which poses a challenge to companies amid a global economic slowdown, said a representative from Merck China.

"Merck China is keen to work with China's leading green innovators and hopefully there could be a platform to make this possible," she added.

The seminar was jointly hosted by the China International Youth Exchange Center and AmCham China.

Wei Lintao and Chen Yushi contributed to this story.