CLEVELAND – Case Western Reserve University and China National Offshore Oil Corp. – New Energy Investment Co., Ltd. (CNOOC) have signed an agreement to create a bi-national entity seeking to develop technically feasible and economically viable solutions to energy and environmental issues.
The U.S. State Department on Wednesday, Jan. 19, made public that the United States and China have expanded their EcoPartnership program with the admission of two more EcoPartnerships, including the one featuring Case Western Reserve and CNOOC. The newly signed agreement builds on a commitment both nations have made to share knowledge on common goals and challenges.
Case Western Reserve's Associate Provost for International Affairs David Fleshler said the plan is that this collaboration becomes "a broad-based enterprise" that involves industry, academia and government.
It will enhance research at the university, and more. "It's meant to be a broader, more encompassing network for not only research but also application and real implementation," Fleshler said. In the U.S. - China Joint Statement (Item 38), President Barack Obama of the United States and President Hu Jintao of the People's Republic of China formally recognize as part of their recent summit the importance of EcoPartnership.
Case Western Reserve's Great Lakes Energy Institute currently seeks to develop off-shore wind energy in Lake Erie and various other renewable energy initiatives. The university, widely known for its research, places an emphasis on sustainability strategies. The university and CNOOC plan to start their collaboration platform during this year. University senior administration and faculty will travel to China to carry out conversations with top CNOOC and Chinese government representatives.
The State Department's announcement explains that Case Western Reserve and CNOOC will research new energy efficiency techniques and new methods of lowering greenhouse gas emissions, seeking to develop new technologies and green jobs.
The United States and China signed the Framework for EcoPartnerships Under the U.S.-China Ten Year Framework for Cooperation on Energy and Environment ("EcoPartnerships Framework") in Beijing in December 2008. The EcoPartnership Framework is aimed at developing new models of mutually beneficial voluntary arrangements between a range of state, local, and private sector organizations, to promote energy security, economic growth, and environmental sustainability in both countries.
In May 2010, at the second U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing, the United States and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Implementation of the Framework for EcoPartnerships (the EcoPartnerships Implementation Plan). This Implementation Plan establishes key policies and procedures of the EcoPartnerships program, including the management framework, selection standards and procedures for new EcoPartnerships.
For more information on EcoPartnerships, visit: http://www.ecopartnerships.gov/.
The links to the U.S. and China Joint Statement (See item 38):
In English: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/01/19/us-china-joint-statement
In Chinese: http://www.mfa.gov.cn/chn/pds/ziliao/zt/dnzt/hujintaozhuxifangwenmeiguo/t788163.htm