China and the United States agreed Wednesday to sign a
memorandum of cooperation on protecting human health and
environment in the area of import and export.
Li Changjiang, director of the General Administration of Quality
Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said he expects to sign the
deal Thursday with Stephen I.Johnson, administrator of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
According to Li, the memorandum involves bilateral cooperation
in five areas including strengthening supervision on chemical
products, leftover of pesticide, mutual recognition of energy
saving products, and improving exported products to better meet the
requirement of environmental laws and regulations.
Product safety, a key issue that has sparked many disputes
between both countries since spring, has for the first time been
listed as one of the topics to be discussed on the on-going
China-U.S. Strategic Economic Dialogue.
Started Wednesday morning, the dialogue focuses on six long-term
topics: the challenges of globalization, trade integration,
balanced economic development, the economic impact of energy
choices, economic growth and sustainability and bilateral
investment.
Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson
co-chaired the dialogue as special representatives of the two state
leaders.
(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2007)
