Corrado Clini, director general of the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea, on November 18 said that for developed countries, the financial aid provided to developing countries should be seen as political opportunities for development.

While attending the High-level Seminar on Climate Change, Clini explained providing financial support to developing countries should not be seen in the traditional way of being aid for development, but as an opportunity to participate in the low-carbon development projects of developing countries.

China and Italy started their cooperation on environmental protects in 2000. Over the past decade, both parties have carried out more than 200 projects and the assisting funds from the Italian government have reached a total of 185 million euros. Their work has covered all aspects in the transformation of un-sustainable production and consumption forms into models for sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, desertification prevention and energy efficiency.

The investment in China's environmental undertakings has generated profitable returns as many Italian companies took to cracking open the vast Chinese market. In 2008, Beijing left U.S.-based engine company Cummins Inc. and turned to Italian Iveco, which had earlier donated 300 engines to the city, to purchase engines for the transformation of its public bus system.

Huang Jianliang is the coordinator of the cooperation project between the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea. He said that despite Italy not being the world's No. 1 in environmental technology, its products are still suitable for the Chinese market when considering a combination of factors such as quality and price.

In September, the Italian government launched its Green Science and Technology Program, aiming to bring advanced technology and experience in the area of green economy to China. Seventeen Italian companies got involved in the program.

During the high-level seminar, Xie Zhenhua in particular pointed out that China and Italy have worked very well together in the fields of climate change and energy conservation. He said that through cooperation, China has made substantial progress in personnel training, energy saving and emission reduction, while at the same time many Italian entrepreneurs find that they are developing swiftly in China. The collaboration seems to have produced a win-win situation; Xie hailed it as a "model for the North-South cooperation."

In conclusion, Clini said that China is carrying out a series of actions which provide a unique opportunity for developing and developed countries alike to participate in global progress and jointly seek creative solutions to address climate change.

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