Forum focuses on Jiangsu-US energy transition cooperation

2021-07-06 16:39:00

Organized by the Department of Commerce of Jiangsu Province and China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME), the Jiangsu-US Energy Transition and Green Development Innovation Cooperation Symposium was held in Nanjing on July 5.

As a major province in energy use and carbon emission, Jiangsu is a key region and potential area for China’s carbon neutrality efforts.

Fan Zhigang, a researcher of the department’s Cooperation Office, said the province is vigorously developing 13 advanced manufacturing clusters and focusing on growth of 50 key industrial chains. Under the China-US cooperation framework to address the climate crisis, Jiangsu will play an active role in regional economic and trade cooperation with US counterparts and promote green development and innovation.

Jiangsu and the US have maintained a close cooperation in recent years, with the country as the province’s second largest partner of trade in goods. As of May this year, Jiangsu’s trade with the US had reached $40.3 billion, and the US-funded enterprises invested $19.2 billion in the province.

Yang Yumin, Vice President of Commercial and Government Affairs, ConocoPhillips China, said Jiangsu is the biggest natural gas consumer in China and has been at the forefront of green energy transformation. The province’s 14th Five-Year Plan also included important initiatives in the development of the clean energy industry chain.

Yang also said he hopes to learn more about opportunities for cooperation and contribute to China's goal of achieving carbon neutrality before 2060.

Many companies including ConocoPhillips, Cheniere Energy and Baker Hughes have been seeking cooperation with Jiangsu in the new energy sector. Based on previous economic and trade cooperation with the United States, Jiangsu is the first stop to explore opportunities for cooperation in the context of peaking carbon dioxide emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, said Ma Li, executive director of US-China Energy Cooperation Program (ECP).

According to Wu Yan, deputy president of Yangtze River Delta Carbon Neutrality Strategy Development Institute, Southeast University, technology cooperation is a key effort to cope with the climate challenge, especially in the four major emitters - power, industry, buildings and transportation, and ensure a win-win situation.