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Chinese entrepreneurs to attend Copenhagen climate summit
November-27-2009

A delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs will attend the Copenhagen climate summit next month to express their views and share experiences.

One of the entrepreneurs Marjorie Yang, chairwoman of the Hong Kong-based textile manufacturer Esquel Group, said she looked forward to learning from the conference as well as letting the world know more about what Chinese companies are doing for environment protection.

"For a company, especially for one involved in a high-polluting industry like us, environmental protection does not count on the boss's words alone, it depends on an environmental-friendly corporate culture," she told Xinhua in Beijing.

Esquel, one of the world's leading producers of premium cotton shirts, managed to reduce its water and energy consumption by 40 and 30 percent respectively from 2005 to 2008.

She did not give specific figures of the company's profit over the years, but said that they were enjoying a bigger market share.

Song Jun, a delegation member and boss of a Beijing-based travel company, said the key to environmental solutions is to change people's consumption habits.

"With the great population in the world, the unhealthy habits has a big influence on the environment," Song said. "We must find a better life style."

He said the answers could be found in the Chinese culture, which has a long tradition of living harmoniously with the nature.

On Thursday, China's State Council announced to cut the country's carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP in 2020 by 40 to 45 percent the level of 2005, the first time China has put its commitment in specific figures.

The government said the target would be a binding index in the national mid or long-term economic and social plans. This could mean tougher supervisory measures on industrial manufacturers in the future.