Introduction

The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate is an innovative effort to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technologies.

While each of the Partners has different natural resource endowments, and sustainable development and energy strategies, Partners are already working together and will continue to work to achieve common goals. By building on the foundation of existing bilateral and multilateral initiatives, the Partners will enhance cooperation to meet both our increased energy needs and associated challenges, including those related to air pollution, energy security, and greenhouse gas intensities. The Chinese Government supports all measures that contribute to economic development, poverty eradication, environmental protection, climate change mitigation and enhanced international exchange and cooperation. The Chinese Government will actively participate in and facilitate the implementation of the Partnership. At the same time, we believe that the Partnership should stick to the following direction of development:

The Partnership will be consistent with and contribute to Partners' efforts under the UNFCCC and will complement, but not replace, the Kyoto Protocol.

Partners

APP partners Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United States have agreed to work together and with private sector partners to meet goals for energy security, national air pollution reduction, and climate change in ways that promote sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. The Partnership will focus on expanding investment and trade in cleaner energy technologies, goods and services in key market sectors.

Task Forces

The Partners have approved eight public-private sector task forces. The United States is integrally involved in each of the Task Forces, maintaining two public sector and two private sector members on each. The Task Forces cover eight sectors:

◆Aluminum
◆Buildings and Appliances
◆Cement
◆Cleaner Fossil Energy
◆Coal Mining
◆Power Generation and Transmission
◆Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation
◆Steel

The seven partner countries represent about half of the world's economy, population and energy use, and they produce about 65% of the world's coal, more than 60% of the world's steel, 52% of world's aluminum, and 61% of the world's cement.

The purposes of the Partnership are to:

▲Create a voluntary, non-legally binding framework for international cooperation to facilitate the development, diffusion, deployment, and transfer of existing, emerging and longer term cost- effective, cleaner, more efficient technologies and practices among the Partners through concrete and substantial cooperation so as to achieve practical results

▲Promote and create enabling environments to assist in such efforts

▲Facilitate attainment of the Partners' respective national pollution reduction, energy security and climate change objectives

▲Provide a forum for exploring the Partners' respective policy approaches relevant to addressing interlinked development, energy, environment, and climate change issues within the context of clean development goals, and for sharing experiences in developing and implementing respective national development and energy strategies.

History

★In July 2005, the Asia-Pacific Partnership was announced at the 38th ASEAN Ministerial in Vientiane, Laos.

★In January 2006, the Partnership was then formally launched at the inaugural Ministerial meeting in Sydney, Australia. In Sydney, Ministers agreed on a Charter, Communiqué, and Work Plan.

★In April 2006, the Policy and Implementation Committee (PIC) met with the Task Forces in Berkeley, United States. Task Forces began identifying priorities and developing action plans in thematic areas.

★In October 2006, at the PIC's second meeting in Jeju, Korea, Partners endorsed eight Action Plans, containing nearly 100 associated individual projects and activities.

★In July 2007, at the third PIC meeting in Tokyo, Japan, Task Forces reported on their work, and the PIC endorsed new projects.

★In October 2007, at the New Delhi Ministerial meeting, Ministers welcomed Canada as the seventh Partner, recognized Action Plans and the by-then over 100 projects, as well as 18 Flagship Projects, and launched the Asia-Pacific Energy Technology Cooperation Centre.

★In May 2008, PIC members met in Seattle, USA. In Seattle, now well into the implementation phase, the Task Forces presented status reports of their work and PIC members discussed the future direction of the APP.

★In October 2008, at the sixth PIC meeting in Vancouver, Canada, stakeholders shared their views and perspectives, the Task Forces - which continue to meet regularly to accomplish their work - provided progress updates, and the PIC endorsed additional projects including one new flagship project.