中美合作应对空气与气候问题

Prior to her visit to China next week, Gina McCarthy, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, says her country's expertise and advanced technologies will help China deal with environmental challenges.

She says the US and China, the world's two largest economies, are also the two biggest energy consumers and pollution emitters.

Therefore, it is of great significance for the two countries to work together in leading global efforts to curb environmental issues and combat climate change.

"We know there is economic competition between the two nations. That's healthy. But we do share the same climate, and we do share the same level of concern about changing climate. And I think we're well positioned to begin work together in new depth, in a more concerted effort to move forward, to really build on what I think of as thirty years of significant cooperation partnership between our countries already. "

She notes the US and China have set a good example in leading global efforts to deal with climate change with leaders of the two countries pledging to reduce greenhouse gases.

Meanwhile, there is huge potential for bilateral cooperation.

China now faces critical challenges concerning air pollution and other environmental issues.

Administrator McCarthy says the US can provide help with its expertise and technology in this field.

"They have established some very ambitious goals, not only for air quality, but also for climate. And we believe that they can learn from the lessons of the United States and to leap forward to actually look at ways of addressing air quality challenges which are of paramount importance to them now and do it in a way that they can continue to build a clean energy economy."

She has also praised China's huge investment in dealing with environmental protection.

"But I think the most exciting thing they're doing is they are doing regional planning. They're doing them in a bunch of different areas what they call like Beijing, in Shanghai, and city clusters. And there is a tremendous opportunity for them through that effort to start building the kind of infrastructure that the US had to look at with envy. I'm pretty much excited about it which nobody else but we know what the significance was."

Xiaohong, CRI, Washington.