Meeting for Environmental Protection and Energy-saving by CISA and JISF – 7 July 2005

The Advanced Technology Exchange Meeting for Environmental Protection and Energy-saving Co-sponsored by the China Iron and Steel Association and the Japan Iron and Steel Federation Comes to a Successful Conclusion.

The exchange meeting was held in Beijing on July 4 and 5 under the co-sponsorship of the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (Chairman: Akio Mimura, president of Nippon Steel Corp.) and the China Iron and Steel Association (Chairwoman: Xie Qihua, chairwoman of Shanghai Baossteel Group Corporation). With the aim of promoting the sustainable development of the iron and steel industries of the two countries and of contributing to the solution of global environmental issues, the exchange meeting was a great success, attended by about 200 persons, including most of the industries' top executives, as well as by government officials and members of research institutions from both countries.

The meeting started with greetings from Akio Mimura, chairman of the Japan Iron and Steel Federation and from Xie Qihua, chairwoman of the China Iron and Steel Association. Industry experts and government officials from both countries made presentations regarding how their industries are currently dealing with issues of environmental protection and energy-saving, and regarding their country-specific policies. Also, a memorandum was exchanged to confirm the continuation of this event for the further promotion of environmental protection and advancement of energy-saving technologies.

The gist of speech by Chairman Akio Mimura

We are here today to mark 30 years of exchange activities in earnest between Japan and China, reaching an agreement about the perceptions of environmental protection and energy-saving between China, the world's largest producer of iron and steel, and Japan, the world's most advanced nation in terms of environmental protection and energy-saving technologies.
I'm confident that, in the future, the importance of the iron and steel that we provide as basic materials in support of social infrastructure will not change. On the other hand, we must also be aware that there is a downside in that the iron and steel industry not only consumes a large quantity of resources but, without countermeasures, also emits a large quantity of carbon dioxide and thus can place a heavy load on the environment.
To overcome the pollution issues and oil shocks encountered in the past, Japan's iron and steel industry thoroughly tackled environmental protection and energy-saving measures. The world's highest energy efficiency and the technologies for environmental protection and resource recycling that we now enjoy are, we believe, the results of these efforts.
My belief is that the iron and steel industries of both China and Japan, through their respective efforts and mutual cooperation, will contribute greatly to the co-existence of their environments and economies and, by extension, to the development of a sustainable global economic society. I sincerely hope this exchange meeting is the first step toward fostering a new relationship of friendship and trust between the two countries and will mark a meaningful course for our future generations.

The gist of speech by Chairwoman Xie Qihua

This meeting is an important Sino-Japan exchange activity, and the exchange of advanced technologies and relevant environmental protection and energy-saving policies will promote the sustainable development of the iron and steel industries of both countries. This in turn will bring happiness to the people of China and Japan and to those in other parts of the world.
To date, China's iron and steel industry, in the process of its development, has made various efforts in the areas of energy-saving and environmental protection, but we still see a large technological gap between China and the world's more advanced industrial nations.
China is fully committed to promoting technological development, as well as industrial structural adjustments, to realize sustainable growth for the industry. For this industry to grow on a solid basis, it is essential for China to learn from advanced experiences in other countries, in particular the state-of-the art technologies of the Japanese counterpart.
I sincerely wish for this exchange meeting to be a great success and that friendship and cooperation between the industries of both countries will continue to bring us great results.

Memorandum of agreement

For the purpose of this exchange meeting, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation and the China Iron and Steel Association declare that both sides will engage in active and friendly exchanges regarding technologies for environmental protection and energy-saving, the international situation of these technologies, and both countries' detailed technology policies. Consequently, they agree as follows:

1. The Japan Iron and Steel Federation and the China Iron and Steel Association, while promoting the healthy development of both countries' iron and steel industries, are fully aware of the importance of both sides continuing to promote these exchanges in the area of environmental protection and energy-saving technologies, and other relevant areas, from the standpoint of the effective use of resources and the protection of the global environment.

2. To realize the above, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation and the China Iron and Steel Association will continue exchanges of information and experts on environmental protection and energy-saving.