Shared endeavors

[Photo by Yan Xue/China Daily]

By ANDREAS KUHLMANN

China and Germany can take pride in their collaborative success story in the environmental sector

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Germany and China. This is a noteworthy milestone deserving joint commemoration. Since 1972, Sino-German cooperation has been the source of numerous positive contributions to both countries and beyond. It has resulted in great mutual economic benefits, enabled the implementation of innovative intercultural projects in various sectors, served as an important platform for addressing global issues, and played a quintessential role in the establishment of cooperation between the European Union and China.

One of the areas in which Sino-German cooperation is indispensable is climate change. If we wish to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 C and avoid potentially catastrophic changes to the planet, we depend heavily on international cooperation.

Germany and China are strong advocates of multilateral and bilateral climate cooperation. Both countries have assumed leading roles in the global effort to implement the Paris Agreement, and each government has formulated ambitious national climate goals. Germany, known as the pioneer of the energy transition concept and an early leader in renewable energy expansion, has set out to achieve a carbon-neutral and nuclear-free energy system by 2045. China, which is now the world's largest producer, exporter and investor in renewable energy, has pledged to peak its carbon emissions before 2030 and to reach climate neutrality before 2060.

The unique conditions and problems of Germany and China may be different, but the main challenges of the green transition, such as the issue of maintaining energy security and grid stability, while transitioning toward renewable energy, are universal. Thus, considering the environmental pioneering role of both countries and the similar challenges they are facing, there is great potential and value in Germany and China learning from each other's experiences. It is only natural that the two countries share their expertise on how to best combat the climate crisis and transition toward a low-carbon energy system.

Over the years, China and Germany have already successfully established various frameworks for cooperation in the environmental sector. One such important platform, created in 2006 within the German-Chinese Forum for Economic and Technological Cooperation framework, is the Sino-German Energy Partnership. The establishment of this partnership has given Chinese and German stakeholders the possibility to comprehensively discuss challenges and jointly develop country-specific solutions and approaches for a successful energy transition. Such initiatives can play a crucial role in the global effort to reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency. The German Energy Agency is also part of various activities within the Sino-German Energy Partnership. One such activity is the Sino-German Energy Transition Project, or EnTrans, which we implement together with the German Agency for International Cooperation and climate think tank Agora Energiewende. Through workshops and studies, the project has provided considerable contributions to the Sino-German knowledge exchange on topics including smart grids, security of supply, energy efficiency in industry, hydrogen application and distributed energy.

A fruitful and long-standing collaboration between China and Germany is possible. What began with a pilot project in the field of energy-efficient buildings evolved over time into full-fledged cooperation with a wide variety of partners in diverse sectors and various formats. Aside from our involvement within the Sino-German Energy Partnership, our activities in China include lighthouse projects in the field of sustainable urban development, such as the "German-Chinese Eco-Cities" project, and the direct support of Chinese companies, for example with the implementation of hydrogen road maps or the construction of energy-efficient industrial plants. Most recently, we have been working with a number of Chinese stakeholders, including the China Academy of Building Research, on developing a building and construction road map for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. During the execution of these manifold projects, we have managed to not only exchange valuable knowledge but also identify practical solutions to numerous obstacles and build mutual trust with our Chinese partners. Finally yet importantly, through the German Energy Agency's pilot projects in the climate-friendly construction sector, around 150,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions have been reduced.

The successes accumulated are a testament to how Germany and China are able to jointly drive forward environmentally-friendly transformation processes. We look forward to continuing the collaborative success story with our Chinese partners in the future. By doing so, we also hope to be setting a positive example for other international projects in the field of climate protection. After all, each project brings us one step closer to the goal of carbon neutrality and resource efficiency.

The author is chief executive of the German Energy Agency. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.