March 27, 2008
HP-889

Secretary Paulson to Visit China Next Week

Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. will travel to China next week to meet with the newly appointed leadership and discuss a broad range of economic issues. Paulson will be in Beijing April 2 and 3.

While there he will also deliver remarks on U.S. and Chinese cooperation on issues surrounding energy and the environment.

Presidents Bush and Hu established the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) in 2006 to provide a focused and effective framework for addressing economic issues of mutual concern. By prioritizing issues in the broader context of our bilateral economic relationship, the SED gives direction and creates momentum for the many existing bilateral mechanisms we use to foster cooperation and resolve concerns across the spectrum of economic issues. The SED focuses on a range of issues including financial sector reform and increased currency flexibility, the integrity of trade and product safety, and investment.

Paulson's remarks will focus on an agreement reached at the last meeting of the SED, in which the United States and China agreed to conduct extensive cooperation over a ten-year period to address the challenges of environmental sustainability, climate change and energy security. This ten year collaboration will advance technological innovation, further the adoption of highly-efficient, clean energy technology, promote the development of technology to address climate change, and promote the sustainability of natural resources. Both sides agreed to take additional steps to promote energy efficiency and security and address climate change.

Protecting the environment and promoting clean energy represent a shared priority for the United States and China. The two countries are the two largest consumers of natural resources, and recognize that meaningful results require cooperation on a wide range of sustainable resource and environment initiatives.

Who
Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr.
What
Remarks
When
9:00 a.m. (Local Time), Thursday, April 3
Where
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences
18 Shuangqing Road
Haidian District, Beijing, China