The first high-level dialogue of the China-Germany Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism on Climate Change and Green Transformation was held in Beijing on the 22nd. The participants in this dialogue were of a high level, including Zheng Shanjie, Director of China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and Robert Habeck, Vice Chancellor of Germany and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, as well as representatives from more than 10 departments on both the Chinese and German sides.

　　Cooperation is the main theme of the dialogue

　　This dialogue comes amid recent trade frictions between China and Europe. Regarding the main theme of this dialogue, China's NDRC clearly stated that it aims to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries on strengthening China-Germany dialogue and cooperation on climate change and green transformation, and to solidly advance policy exchanges and practical cooperation.

　　On that day, the relevant departments of China and Germany held dialogue and exchanges on key topics such as energy efficiency and the circular economy, the multilateral climate process and China-Germany bilateral climate cooperation, industrial decarbonization, and energy transition, and announced that the dialogue had produced a series of outcomes.

　　The outcomes include not only a series of cooperation plans and work arrangements reached by the relevant Chinese and German departments, covering the energy efficiency working group, the circular economy action plan, the industrial decarbonization working group, and energy efficiency improvement demonstration projects, but also the launch by both sides of provincial and state cooperation on green transformation, with the NDRC and the relevant German departments jointly supporting exchanges and cooperation in related fields between Jiangsu Province and Baden-Württemberg, and between Sichuan Province and North Rhine-Westphalia.

　　Yuan Shenglong, Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Office of the Institute of Foreign Economic Research under the NDRC, pointed out that Jiangsu and Sichuan are representative provinces in China's advancement of green economic transformation and the development of the new energy industry, and have rich experience in international cooperation in related fields. Promoting the establishment of friendly cooperative relations between German federal states and Chinese provinces and municipalities will help strengthen policy coordination and in-depth cooperation between the two countries in science and technology, green and low-carbon transformation, and industry, give fuller play to the role and functions of various exchange and dialogue mechanisms and cooperation platforms, and play a positive role in promoting local exchanges on green transformation, industrial cooperation, and raising public awareness.

　　China and Germany explore more room for cooperation

　　China and Germany launched environmental protection cooperation in 1994. Today, cooperation between the two countries has continued to deepen, expanding from the initial personnel exchanges and information sharing to multiple substantive cooperation areas such as policies and regulations, management systems, the environmental protection industry, and pollution prevention and control.

　　Chen Fengying, former Director and Research Fellow of the Institute of World Economics under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that China and Germany are interdependent and highly complementary in climate change and green transformation. For example, Germany is also a manufacturing powerhouse and holds a leading position in green and low-carbon development, and its technologies and experience offer important inspiration to China. China's new energy vehicles and photovoltaic technologies are likewise attractive to Germany. The two countries can learn from each other and jointly explore the path of green transformation.

　　In this dialogue, China and Germany also looked ahead to future areas of cooperation. The Chinese side stated that it is willing to further raise the level of cooperation with Germany in key areas such as energy efficiency and the circular economy, the multilateral climate process, industrial decarbonization, and energy transition, and to further tap cooperation potential in green and low-carbon technologies. The German side stated that it is willing to work with China to strengthen cooperation and further explore cooperation potential in specific areas such as renewable energy consumption, smart grid development, and the production of zero-carbon and low-carbon products.

　　The China-Germany dialogue is of far-reaching significance

　　At a sensitive moment when the EU plans to impose provisional countervailing duties on imported Chinese electric vehicles, this China-Germany dialogue is of far-reaching significance.

　　On the one hand, the Chinese side once again clarified its position and expectations. For example, Zheng Shanjie emphasized at the meeting that protectionism cannot protect competitiveness; it will only drag down the global process of addressing climate change and advancing green and low-carbon transformation. He expressed the hope that Germany will demonstrate leadership within the EU and do the right thing.

　　On the other hand, Germany, as an important EU member state, also made a key visit to China at a special time. The German side stated at the meeting that Germany-China economic relations are very important, that the current trend of economic globalization is being disrupted by external factors, and that China is an indispensable partner for addressing global challenges. The German side supports discussions and consultations between China and the EU on relevant issues.

　　In Chen Fengying's view, Germany has important influence in Europe, and its policies and actions can produce a demonstration effect across Europe. Therefore, China-Germany cooperation in the green and low-carbon field is not only of great significance to the two countries, but also has a positive impact on the whole of Europe and even the world in addressing climate change.

　　Yuan Shenglong emphasized that China has built the world's largest clean power generation system, and that China's wind power and photovoltaic products are exported to more than 200 countries and regions around the world, helping many countries obtain clean, reliable, and affordable energy. At the same time, China's new energy technologies have significantly improved the accessibility of clean energy technologies and reduced the global cost of using green technologies. China-Germany economic and trade relations are of great significance to the two countries and even the world, and strengthening China-Germany cooperation in climate change and green transformation is indispensable for jointly addressing global challenges.