EU and China discuss in Beijing potential areas of cooperation on water

On September 23^rd and 24^th representatives of the European Union, its Member States and China gathered in Beijing at the margins of the third edition of the Asia International Water Week to discuss avenues and priority of cooperation in the water sector in the framework of the China-Europe Water Platform (CEWP) and of the EU-China Cooperation on Water project.

At the occasion of the thematic workshops and of the annual Ministerial Meeting of the China-Europe Water Platform, which took place respectively on September 23^rd and 24^th, several EU Member States reiterated their interest in the cooperation with China on water-related issues. In particular, France stressed its interest to cooperate on river basin management and twinning activities between river basins; Portugal on restoration of water ecosystems; the Netherland on sponge cities; Denmark on groundwater issues, and Finland highlighted the importance to engage with the private sector. Italy, Cyprus, Austria, Estonia, Sweden and Hungary also confirmed their support to the work of CEWP and the importance for further cooperation with China in the water sector. In his speech, the Head of European Union Delegation, Jorge Toledo, said that "the cooperation with China has been playing a central role for the EU for a long time, as we learn from each other but also can contribute jointly to global solutions and global governance".

In the next months, concrete activities will take place in areas such as river basin management, circular water economy, corporate water responsibility and the nexus between water, energy, food and ecosystems (WEFE). These will bring together the experience of the EU and its Member States under a Team Europe approach in order to strengthen the cooperation with China and ensure a level-playing field for all stakeholders involved.

Background information:

The European Union and China have a longstanding cooperation on water. The first EU-funded cooperation project on river basin management started in 2006. Since then, the cooperation has evolved into more structured mechanisms. The launch of the China-Europe Water Platform in 2012 was a strong political signal by both sides to strengthen the cooperation. This was later reinforced by the launch of the EU-China Water Policy Dialogue in 2017.

Water resilience has been identified as a key priority of the new Commission (2024-2029) led by President Von der Leyen, which will include a dedicated Commissioner on Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy. China remains a key partner for the EU in its engagement on the global water resilience agenda.

Since 2017, the European Union has provided funding for the activities of the CEWP and its Members. Its support has been renewed for the next three years through the EU-China water cooperation project, which will provide financial and technical support to the activities of CEWP as well as feed the discussions of the regular EU-China Water Policy Dialogue.