Environmental ministers of China, Japan and South Korea meet in Nagoya

The Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said on Friday he hopes that the 24th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among between Japan, South Korea, and China, or (TEMM24), can reach a consensus on common concerns and provide ecological and environmental achievements for higher-level China-Japan-South Korea cooperation meetings.

Common concerns include the cooperation on the control of dust and sandstorms among China, Japan, South Korea and Mongolia, said Huang, who is attending a two-day meeting, which kicked off in Nagoya, Japan on Friday.

"This meeting is being held offline for the first time in four years. I hope that it can send a positive signal to the international community about the comprehensive restoration of trilateral environmental cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea," Huang said at the beginning of a bilateral meeting with Japanese Minister of the Environment Shintaro Ito.

"We look forward to the three parties exchanging positions on global environmental issues and jointly promoting the expected outcomes of the upcoming COP28 and the sessions of the intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop an international instrument on plastic pollution," he said.

Environmental cooperation is an important part of China-Japan bilateral relations and one of the earliest areas of cooperation between the two countries, with a history of more than 40 years and significant achievements in various aspects, Huang said.

"Environmental cooperation benefits the well-being of the people of both countries. China is willing to work with Japan to promote China-Japan environmental cooperation that meets the requirements of the new era," he said.

jiangxueqing@chinadaily.com.cn