President says China has important role in balancing global development Sauli Niinisto, the president of Finland, has wished President Xi Jinping ahead of the 19th CPC National Congress all the strength and courage to go further in his mission to rejuvenate China. The Finnish people are closely following discussions leading up to the congress, which opens on Wednesday, and hope China will continue on its path of economic development, Niinisto said in an exclusive interview. He said he is confident the two countries will enhance cooperation in the next five years, both politically and economically, and predicted that China will play a very important role in balancing global development, which is much needed. President Xi, who is also general secretary the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made a three-day state visit to Finland in early April. It was the first by a Chinese head of state in 22 years. Niinisto described the visit as historic, adding that he was touched by the fact it came as Finland celebrated 100 years of independence. It's very valuable for a small country, and the leader of a small country, to hear what the big ones are thinking, said the Finnish president, who remembers Xi as being a gentleman, and a very friendly personality. During the visit, Finland and China signed an agreement on a future strategic partnership, which Niinisto said will open many new doors. It seems that trade is enhanced, for example, and surely that also strengthens our relations, he added. With Beijing to co-host the 2022 Winter Olympics with Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, another key area for cooperation is winter sports. Xi's visit was a good starting point for potential Finnish-China Olympic cooperation, laying the foundation to start building the required relationships and contacts, said Mikko Salonen, secretary-general of Finland's Olympic committee. Dialogue and exchanges are already taking place between governments, businesses and sports clubs, he said, adding that a delegation from the Cross-Country Skiing Federation of Finland is planning to soon visit the Winter Games venues in Beijing and Zhangjiakou. I also know companies involved in making artificial snow have been in contact with their Chinese counterparts, and there have been lots of discussions between educational parties and organizations, Salonen said. Chinese businesses also took the opportunity during Xi's visit to expand cooperation with Finnish companies in renewable energy, as Beijing works to boost green development. China CAMC Engineering Co, an arm of the State-owned Sinomach, signed a contract with Finland's Boreal Bioref that will facilitate an investment of 800 million euros ($942.8 million) in a new bio-refinery in Kemijarvi. President Xi's visit has had a strong impact on the speed at which we have been able to proceed with the project, said Heikki Nivala, CEO and chairman of Boreal Bioref. Renewable energy is at the top of the agenda for Finland and China. The potential scale offered by the Chinese market creates a natural breeding ground for Finnish innovation in this field. China also agreed to loan Finland two giant pandas during Xi's state visit. The endangered animals are expected to arrive this year and will remain at Ahtari Zoo for 15 years. Juhani Haapaniemi, the zoo's CEO, said Finns nationwide are excited about the arrival of the pandas. Students at local schools have planted bamboo, while others have made drawings and videos to greet the pandas. Zhang Yangfei contributed to this story. [email protected] (China Daily 10/17/2017 page5) customized braceletsrecycled silicone wristbandsblue silicone wristbandsdual layer wristbandcreate your own wristband
China registered a higher rate of decarbonization than any of the world's major economies for the second year running, according to a new report published by London-based consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (known as PwC).China reduced its carbon intensity by 5.2 percent in 2017, PwC found in its annual Low Carbon Economy Index of the G20 members. Carbon intensity rates are measured by comparing greenhouse gas emissions with a nation's energy demand and gross domestic product, also known as GDP.While emissions levels in China actually rose by 1.4 percent last year, this increase was low in comparison to a high GDP growth rate of 6.9 percent and an increase in energy demand.The United Kingdom also performed well in the index, registering an average drop in carbon intensity of 3.7 percent over the least 10 years, the best of all nations studied. In 2017, UK carbon intensity dropped by 4.7 percent, the fourth best in the G20 behind China, Mexico and Argentina.Overall, PwC found that global emissions are now on the rise again - by 1.1 percent - having plateaued for the past three years. Global energy demand rose by 2.1 percent last year, more than twice the rate in 2016, and most of the increased energy demand was met with fossil fuels, according to the report."The gap between the current decarbonization rate and that needed to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius is widening," the report said. "There seems to be almost zero chance of limiting warming to well below 2 degrees, the main goal of the Paris Agreement."The PwC study coincided with the release of a report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (known as IPCC), which said the world has only 12 years to limit a climate change catastrophe.Also this week, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences - commonly referred to as the Nobel Prize in economics - to United States economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer for their work integrating climate change into macroeconomic analysis.When asked about the new IPCC report, Romer urged governments and the public not to succumb to pessimism."Once we start to try to reduce carbon emissions, we'll be surprised that it wasn't as hard as we anticipated," Romer told press. "The danger with very alarming forecasts is that it will make people feel apathetic and hopeless."In China last year, PwC found that renewable power generation rose by 25 million metric tons of oil equivalent, which is an energy usage measurement, also known as MTOE. This was driven by a 71 percent increase in solar energy, and a 20 percent increase in wind energy.Coal use in China increased by 1 percent last year, following several years of reductions in consumption. PwC attributed the rise of coal consumption to the opening of coal-fired power generation plants."Despite this growth, political signals do not suggest that coal consumption will grow long term in China again as pollution control is at the top of the political agenda," the report stated.China also saw the highest percentage increase in use of natural gas, at 15 percent. This is largely associated with residential heating and small industrial boilers switching from coal to gas."Despite growth of fossil fuels, China has positioned itself as a global engine for renewable deployment," the report said. "It has made significant strides toward meeting its pledge under the Paris Agreement to generate 20 percent of its energy in 2030 from low-carbon sources."
