China, Japan, S Korea beef up environmental ties

KITAKYUSHU, Japan - China, South Korea and Japan said here Monday in a Joint Communique that they will enhance trilateral cooperation to cope with global and regional environmental issues, particularly in air pollution in the Northeast Asia.

The communique, released after the 15th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among China, Japan and South Korea (TEMM) kicked off Sunday, also said the three nations will "work together to enhance the full effective and sustained implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change."

According to the paper, the nations will improve joint researches and technical cooperation in fields such as green development, bio-diversity and air pollution.

The three countries also agreed to establish the Tripartite Policy Dialogue on Air Pollution so as to exchange information on relevant policies, technologies for monitoring, prevention and control technologies, said the communique.

China's vice-Environment Minister Li Ganjie said at a press conference after the two-day meeting that China has paid great importance to environment protection, adding the Chinese government has taken effective measures to deal with environmental challenges.

He said China is pushing forward its new system on air pollution monitoring in China's industrial region and other major cities.

Li also said the TEMM is an important and effective platform for the three countries to exchange views on environmental protection.

The annual TEMM was established in 1999 and aims at promoting sustainable development in the Northeast Asia through discussing and resolving common environment challenges faced by the three countries. The next TEMM will be hold in South Korea in 2014.