Advancing the Sino-German cooperation on energy efficiency

Steering Meeting of the Sino-German Working Group on Energy Efficiency

Steering Meeting of the Sino-German Working Group on Energy Efficiency
Steering Meeting of the Sino-German Working Group on Energy Efficiency

On 22 July 2022, the 2nd steering meeting of the Sino-German Working Group on Energy Efficiency between the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the National Development and Reform Commission of the PRC (NDRC) took place virtually. Both sides reviewed the working group's activities and achievements in 2022, discussed further activities for the latter half of the year, and expressed their strong commitment to deepen the bilateral cooperation on energy efficiency.

In his opening speech, Deputy Director General Liu Qiong from the Department of Environment and Resource Conservation of NDRC emphasized the role of energy efficiency in addressing the energy crisis, climate change, and ensuring energy security. He summarized China’s efforts for more energy efficiency: since 2012, China has supported an average annual economic growth of 6.5% with an average annual increase of 3% in energy consumption and a cumulative reduction of 26.2% in energy intensity, equivalent to a 1.4 billion tones standard coal reduction and 2.94 billion tones carbon emission reduction. To fulfill the climate goals of carbon peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, China has – besides other measures – set up the “1+N" policy framework, established an emissions trading scheme, and issued subsidies for decarbonization efforts of 183 billion RMB. As many countries are adjusting the climate policies to optimize the roadmap for reaching the climate targets under the current geopolitical situation and the energy crisis, Liu Qiong stressed, it is even more significant to facilitate prompt exchange, identify further cooperation potentials and deepen the Sino-German cooperation in energy efficiency.

Deputy Director General Ursula Borak from the Department of Climate Action of BMWK also addressed the tense state of international energy security caused by the invasion of Russia to Ukraine, emphasizing that Germany will continue to focus its efforts on achieving the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Agreement. She stressed that the current increase of coal-fired power production is only a temporary measure to secure energy supply and will not last longer than two years. Ursula Borak named obligations in the public sector, addressing energy poverty, and strengthening energy efficiency in heating and cooling as central elements of Germany’s energy efficiency policy. Concluding, she agreed with the NDRC’s proposal to deepen the dialogue and identify further potentials for cooperation in the field of energy efficiency. 

Both parties reviewed the activities and achievements of the Sino-German Demonstration Projects on Energy Efficiency in the Industry and City Quarters, cooperation in the field of energy efficiency networks and standardization, and all other activities. Finally, both sides specified and agreed on further tasks for the second half of 2022.

Participants included representatives from BMWK, NDRC, the German Federal Foreign Office (AA), the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), the German Embassy in Beijing, the GIZ, the German Energy Agency (dena), the Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG), the National Energy Conservation Center of China (NECC), the China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS), the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP Consulting) and China International Engineering Consulting Corporation (CIECC).


Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implements the Sino-German Energy Partnership on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

For more information on the Sino-German Working Group on Energy Efficiency, please contact: Ms. Yin Yuxia (yuxia.yin(at)giz.de), Project Director of the Sino-German Energy Partnership, GIZ