The Ministry of Environment (Minister Cho Myung-rae) announced that it held the 4th Korea-China Director General-level Meeting at the Han River Flood Control Office in Seoul via video conference with the counterpart in Beijing. Korea and China agreed to strengthen cooperation for current environmental issues, including the Green New Deal, atmospheric environment, and climate change.

Following the intensive inspection of the cooperation for fine dust at the Korea-China High-level Video Conference* in April 2020, the two countries agreed to cooperate for the response against COVID-19, as well as for air quality improvement. 

* A video meeting between Korea (Deputy Minister of the Living Environment Policy Office of the Ministry of Environment) and China (Director General of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment) held on April 9th that discussed ways to reinforce capacity to implement the Blue Sky Plan including sharing seasonal fine dust management policy.

Director General Ahn Se-chang of the Climate Change and International Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Environment was the chief delegate of Korea, and Director General Guo Jing of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment was the chief delegate of China.

The participants shared the understanding of the Green New Deal as a turning point to convert climate and environmental challenges to new opportunities for growth and decided to actively find cooperation agenda for the Green New Deal under the spirit of solidarity and cooperation.

On June 3rd, 2020, the Ministry of Environment complied 695.1 won worth of additional budget for the third supplementary budget plan of the government. Among it, 586.7 billion won was allocated for the Green New Deal projects, including the innovation of the Green Industry.

China is establishing infrastructure for new energy and new green industries by integrating high-tech industries, including ecological environment protection, next-generation mobile communication, and AI, and is focusing on nurturing new green industries.

* In May 2020, during the Two Sessions, China announced an investment of about 8,300 trillion won over the next five years in the Chinese version of the New Deal, including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, data centers, electric vehicles and charging stations.

Furthermore, the chief delegates of the two countries examined the progress of major projects in the 'Blue Sky Plan*' for 2020, ed in March, and the work plan of the Korea-China Environmental Cooperation Center, marking the second anniversary of its establishment this year. The main examination results are as follows:

* The action plan following MOU for the Blue Sky Plan (signed by the Environment Ministers of Korea and China in November 2011). At the time of ation (March 31st, 2020), the plan consisted of three areas of cooperation (policy and technology exchange, joint research, and technology commercialization) and nine joint projects.

(Seasonal management system) The two countries shared the results of the discussion on air quality improvement in the 1st Korea-China Seasonal Management System Video Conference (April 28th) and agreed to supplement the shared information through expert meetings later on.

(Technical exchange meeting) The two countries shared information about industrial boiler emission reduction policies and drone surveillance methods among the air pollution prevention policies discussed in the Technical Exchange Video Conference (April 28th), and agreed to resume a face-to-face meeting in the second half of 2020.

(Joint research) The two countries shared research results (three from Korea, two from China) via video conference (April 28th) and agreed to increase the numbers of the ground observation point to eight (four points in each country).

(Technology commercialization) The two countries shared the decision of Environmental Technology and Industrial Cooperation Conference (May 19th) that ed Shandong Province and Tianjin in China as the key cooperation areas and agreed to hold video consultation meetings for Shanghai and Guangdong Province in July 2020 to provide one-on-one consultation for companies.

(Blue Sky Conference) As a venue of communication for government officials implementing the Blue Sky Plan and scientists of the two countries, the Blue Sky Conference had been prepared from March 2020 through working-level and high-level video meetings. The two countries examined the current preparation status and discussed ways to hold the conference in the second half of 2020 with other events, including the Annual Environment Ministers Meeting between Korea and China.

In addition, the two countries agreed to cooperate for the adoption of the Five-year Joint Action Plan among Korea, China, and Japan (2020 - 2024) in the 22nd Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among Korea, China, and Japan to be held in Korea in the second half of 2020. 

Finally, the two countries agreed to cooperate in the 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to be held in Kunming, China in the first half of 2021 for the adoption of new international strategies and targets regarding the protection of biodiversity and sustainable use of biological resources over the next decade after 2020. 

"We will reinforce our cooperation to solve common environmental problems including fine dust, and continuously implement new joint environmental projects, such as the Green New Deal, to overcome the climate and economic crises caused by COVID-19," stated Director General Ahn Se-chang of the Climate Change and International Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Environment.