A mutual understanding was reached yesterday between China and four countries from East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region in three areas on accelerating renewable energy use and energy efficiency co-operation.

The consensus was reached at the two-day East-Asia Consulting Conference of the Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), which closed yesterday in Beijing.

The conference is among the six regional sessions of preparations for the formal start of REEEP on October 23, according to Li Junfeng, organizer of the REEEP East-Asia regional conference and secretary-general of the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association.

The three common understandings reached between China, Australia, South Korea, Mongolia and Japan are on energy policy,; energy technological standards and a financing system for renewable energy.

Li said the framework of the consensus was agreed at the conference, but specific details will not be released until the REEEP global preparatory conference on September 14-15 in London.

"REEEP should attach great importance to East Asia as energy generated in the region accounts for 20 per cent of the global figure and the electric power production there mainly relies on coal,'' said a conference report.

Meanwhile, East Asia is rich in renewable energy, especially water energy, solar energy, wind energy and bioenergy.

China has committed itself to use clean energy and enhance energy efficiency in eight laws and regulations. It is predicted that the amount of solar energy put into use in 2010 will be four times the figure in 2000, the increase in wind energy is expected to be 650 per cent.

The REEEP initiative was launched by the British Government in partnership with several countries, businesses and civil society organizations at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which was held last year in Johannesburg, South Africa. Over 50 countries and organizations are involved in the programme.

REEEP aims to foster international collaboration in order to accelerate the growth of markets in modern renewable and energy efficiency, with the aim of lowering costs and facilitating the removal of other policy, technological, market and regulatory barriers.

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