On December 20, the Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Wha-jin) held the '7th China-Korea Directors General Policy Dialogue on the Environment' with the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (Minister Huang Runqiu) in Beijing. They discussed measures to enhance environmental cooperation between the two countries, focusing on fine dust reduction through the '5th Fine Dust Seasonal Management Plan (December 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024)' and joint responses to yellow dust.

At this meeting, Lee Young-seok, Director of Climate Change and International Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Environment, and Zhou Guomei, CEO of the Sino-Foreign Joint Venture Corporation of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, attended as chief representatives.

The China-Korea Directors General Policy Dialogue on the Environment is the 7th meeting since the first meeting was held in November 2016. The purpose of these meetings is to expand policy exchange for resolving fine dust issues.

Both countries share the recognition of the importance of Korea-China cooperation in addressing environmental issues such as yellow dust and fine dust. They reviewed the contents of the 'Second Korea-China Environmental Cooperation Plan (2023-2027),' which was signed by the Environment Ministers of both countries in June of this year. Additionally, they discussed mutual cooperation measures for the successful hosting of events scheduled for the second half of next year, including the 25th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting (Korea-China-Japan) and the 5th Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastics (location to be determined).

Furthermore, they assessed the implementation status of the 2023 Clear Sky Plan* jointly signed by the Environment Ministries of both countries for collaborative efforts in addressing air pollution and climate change.

* ① Exchange of air pollution prevention policies and technologies ② Collaborative implementation of seasonal management measures ③ Exchange of policies and technologies for greenhouse gas management in the automotive pollution and transportation sectors ④ Exchange of policies for carbon neutrality and greenhouse gases ⑤ Hosting the Clear Sky Conference ⑥ Exchange of air quality forecast information and forecast technology ⑦ Joint research on three-dimensional observation methods for air pollutants and greenhouse gases, observation of chemical characteristics of air pollutants, and numerical model research ⑧ Hosting an environmental industry cooperation forum ⑨ Hosting an export exhibition

Both sides report that the Clear Sky Plan contributes to concretizing environmental cooperation between the two countries through policy and technology exchange, joint research, and technology industrialization. They plan to gather their intentions for continuous development.

Lee Young-seok, Director of Climate Change and International Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Environment, stated, "We will strengthen cooperation for the resolution of common challenges such as fine dust and yellow dust between the two countries, and make efforts to expand exchanges between the two countries for the improvement of environmental issues in the Northeast Asia region."