On 17 March, Wang Hongzhi, administrator of China’s National Energy Administration, and Ed Miliband, the UK secretary of state for energy security and net zero, co-chaired the 8th China-UK Energy Dialogue in Beijing.
This marked the first visit to China by a UK energy minister since 2017. Miliband said he hoped to strengthen exchanges in the energy sector between the two countries through mechanisms such as the China-UK Energy Dialogue and to jointly contribute more to global efforts in addressing climate change.
Following the meeting, Wang Hongzhi and Miliband signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the China-UK Clean Energy Partnership, which outlines key cooperation areas, including power market reform, grid, battery storage, offshore wind power, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), and green hydrogen.
The two sides exchanged in-depth views on topics such as clean energy technologies, energy transition pathways, energy security, and international energy governance.
Wang Hongzhi stated that China and the UK share extensive common interests and a solid cooperative foundation in the energy sector. He expressed China’s commitment to proactively implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and to promote more mutually beneficial outcomes in China-UK energy cooperation.
The two countries will also host three side events: the China-UK Power Market Seminar, the 10th Annual Meeting of the China-UK Offshore Wind Power Industry Cooperation Steering Committee and the 10th Anniversary Symposium on Cooperative Development, and the China-UK CCUS Seminar. These events aim to further exchange experiences in relevant fields and explore opportunities for pragmatic cooperation.
