Distinguished Secretary-General of the United Nations, Your Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan,
Mr. Chairman,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning!

It gives me great pleasure to take part in this "Ministerial Dialogue with Business Leaders" to discuss with you all how to promote exchanges and cooperation between governments and the industrial and business community in our joint response to the many challenges posed by sustainable development. Strengthening the exchanges and cooperation between governments and business suggests in itself that global sustainable development is no longer confined to pure political consultations; it is progressing towards practical actions.

The 14th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development has decided as its themes energy for sustainable development, industrial development, air pollution and climate change. I find the decision most important and timely. It is heartening to notice among the participants in the Dialogue business leaders from oil, power and many other industries. I trust you've come to the Dialogue with the highest concern for mankind's sustainable development and a strong sense of responsibility towards the society. As much as you are the greatest beneficiaries of economic globalization, you are at the same time its most energetic promoters. Your development strategies as well as the operational and managerial modes of enterprises are closely linked to sustainable human development. We sincerely hope that the industrial and business community, transnational corporations in particular, will, while expanding global businesses, help developing countries eradicate poverty, promote economic development of backward regions, develop and apply energy efficient and environment friendly technologies, improve resource utilization efficiency, reduce emission of pollutants and together with governments, promote the implementation of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and the attainment of global sustainable development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

While recognizing the positive role played by globalization in promoting world economic growth, we should pay more attention to the challenges it poses to sustainable development. Economic globalization is yet to benefit all the people on earth and the wealth gaps among countries and regions are ever widening, especially between the North and South. On a global scale, the demand and supply strain of resources, energy in particular, is getting ever more pronounced, while the trend of ecological and environmental degradation remains to be effectively curbed. Developing countries are still faced with the Herculean task of eradicating poverty and developing economy, making it ever more difficult to realize sustainable development.

It is therefore essential that the international community build an enabling international economic environment. International cooperation should be strengthened in such fields as promoting technology transfer and reducing trade barriers and so forth. Assistance should be provided to developing countries in solving such problems as shortage of funds, lack of technology and inadequacy in development capacities, so that they can really benefit from economic globalization.

As a developing country, China is under enormous pressures in terms of economic development and ecological and environmental protection. The Chinese government takes the harmony between man and nature very seriously and is proceeding steadfastly on a course of sustainable development in keeping with its national specificities. Over nearly three decades since the start of reform and opening up, we have been continuously deepening reforms in economic, social and other fields, and the market economy system has been further improved and an opening up situation is in place. Meanwhile, we have formulated strict laws and regulations governing energy conservation and environmental protection, put in place a price formation mechanism that reflects the scarcity of resources, substantially increased investment in ecological improvement and environmental protection, and preliminarily set up a framework of incentives and restrictions on environmental protection by businesses.

In the next five years, China aims to reduce energy consumption per unit GDP by 20% against the level registered at the end of 2005 and cut total emission of major pollutants by 10%. To achieve these objectives, China will further optimize its industrial structures, take resource conservation as a basic national policy, develop a recycling economy, protect the ecosystem and environment, and accelerate the building of a resource-saving and environment-friendly society. Meanwhile, we will further improve the market economy system and continue creating an enabling investment climate for investors of all kinds in fields such as financing services, fiscal and taxation regimes, and economic and technical cooperation. We stand ready to actively engage in exchanges and cooperation with all the countries and the business community in the fields of energy, industry, high tech, environmental protection and etc., expedite the development and use of technologies in energy conservation, energy efficiency and environmental protection, and make joint efforts to promote energy security and sustainable development of the world.

Thank you all!