The United States and China face similar energy challenges and
their cooperation will serve interests of both countries, a senior
US official said Friday.
The US has a long and fruitful history of engagement with China
on energy related cooperation since January, 1979, and under the
current administration, the US has a robust engagement with China
through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, Katharine A.
Fredriksen, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy
Department said in a testimony before the US-China Economic and
Security Review Commission.
"While there are notable difference in our approaches,
cooperation between our two countries will promote greater energy
security in our respective countries, as well as in the world," she
said at the two-day hearing which started on Thursday.
The US engagement with China takes place in many bilateral
mechanisms, including the US-China Energy Policy Dialogue, the
US-China Oil and Gas Industry Forum, the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear
Technologies Agreement, and the Joint Coordinating Committee on
Science and Technology, said the official.
"The Dialogue emphasizes that the US and China share many common
challenges and opportunities as the two largest energy consumers in
the world and aims to promote greater cooperation to address
concerns," she said.
The US actively engages with China through multilateral fora and
China is an active member economy in the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation's Energy Working Group, said Katharine, adding the two
countries also have been working together though international
science and technology initiatives.
"We plan to continue our engagement with China and work with
Beijing in a collaborative fashion to advance our mutual
interests," she added.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission was created
in October 2000, to monitor, investigate, and submit to the
Congress an annual report on the national security implications of
the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United
States and China, and to provide recommendations to the Congress
for legislative and administrative action.
(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2006)