China, UK have 'enormous potential' for cooperation in environmental protection: ambassador

LONDON - China and Britain enjoy enormous potential for practical cooperation in the area of environmental protection, said Tuesday Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang.

Zheng made the remarks during an online Joint Press Conference by China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Chinese Embassy in Britain on the issues of biodiversity and climate response, ahead of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland.

He said the two countries' cooperation in environmental protection can be carried out in two areas: policy coordination and practical cooperation.

In terms of policy coordination, the first priority for the two sides at the moment is to make sure the second part of COP15 and the upcoming COP26 are real successes, he said, adding that China is sincere in stepping up its communication and cooperation with Britain and other signatory parties for that purpose.

The first part of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) was held from Oct. 11 to 15 in Kunming, capital of China's Yunnan Province, to be followed by the second part next year.

In terms of practical cooperation, business communities from both China and Britain can work in many fields, including green technology, green finance, renewable energy, nuclear energy and electric vehicles, the ambassador said.

Some progress has already been made in the area of electric vehicles, he said, noting that there are BYD electric buses and Geely cabs on the streets of London now. Some Chinese businesses have taken part in the development of vehicle battery, wind power plants and other relevant projects in Britain, he added.

The ambassador said it is very important for the investment environment in Britain to be continuously improved so that Chinese investors are encouraged to come and invest.

"It is our hope that Britain will work closely with China toward the same direction to create a favorable, enabling environment for businesses of our two countries to cooperate more productively," he said.