General News
26 July 2012 - The Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of the People’s Republic of China, Minster Xie Zhenhua, and officials from China visited the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and met with the Director General and senior SPREP staff today.
They discussed areas of
potential future cooperation between SPREP and China, particularly in relation to renewable energy, training opportunities, and technical support in Pacific countries in the key areas relevant to SPREP’s mandate.
“China has already provided support to SPREP over a number of years, including during the development of the SPREP Compound,” said Mr. David Sheppard, Director General of SPREP.
“We have also recently worked with the NDRC regarding the provision of energy efficient materials, including air conditioning units and lighting, to Pacific countries.”
Noting the interest of both China and SPREP in increasing South-South Cooperation, Mr. Sheppard said, “Both parties agree that this close cooperation would be beneficial given the links SPREP has in the Pacific region and the expertise of China in areas such as climate change, biodiversity, and waste.”
SPREP is also currently exploring collaboration with Tsinghua University in Beijing, the Asia Pacific Centre for the Basel Convention, relating to the management of waste, including hazardous waste in accordance with SPREP’s role as coordinator of the Waigani and Basel Conventions in the Pacific region.