G20 MEMBER COUNTRIES129Photo: UNDP-GEF PowerProject in Beijing, Chinapolitical structural reform to create strong impetus foreconomic and social development. We will uphold andimprove the basic economic system, speed up fiscal,taxation and financial reform, reform of prices of factorsof production, reform of monopoly sectors and otherimportant fields, and strive to make major progress inthese reforms. We will exercise governance pursuant tolaw and address the institutional causes for over-concentration of power and lack of checks on it. We willprotect people's democratic rights and their lawfulrights and interests so as to uphold fairness and justice.China cannot develop itself in isolation from the worldand the world also needs China for its development.Here, I wish to reiterate that China's opening-up to theoutside world is a long-term commitment which coversall fields and is mutually beneficial. China's basic statepolicy of opening-up will never change. We willcontinue to get actively involved in economicglobalisation and work to build a fair and equitableinternational trading regime and financial system. Wewill continue to improve foreign-related economic laws,regulations and policies so as to make China'sinvestment environment in keeping with internationalstandard, transparent and more business friendly. nThis is an extract from Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's keynotespeech at the opening of plenary session of the WorldEconomic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions2011 in Dalian, China, on September 14 2011. For anyfurther information visit: www.fmprc.gov.cn

" "THE DURBANCONFERENCE, ON THE AFRICANCONTINENT,SHOULD REMINDUS OF THE ESSENTIALS OFTHE BATTLEAGAINST CLIMATECHANGE: IT ISABOUT SOLIDARITYWITH THE POOREST COUNTRIESt so happened that I became president ofthe European Council, right after thedifficult Copenhagen Conference onClimate Change of December 2009.European leaders had hoped that Copenhagen wouldset up a global scheme in order to tackle climatechange by global action. But the world seemed not tobe ready yet. Since that experience, Europe has learned two things.First of all, we will have to work in a stepwise approachtowards a global climate regime. The road may be long,but the direction should be clear. For us, the end goalremains a binding global climate regime. We areconvinced that only such a regime can offer anenduring response to one of the world's major globalchallenges. Secondly, in attendance of this regime, theworld will not be paralysed. Many countries in theworld are already implementing concrete climateaction, which we fully welcome. Earlier this year, I wasin China. I saw with my own eyes what I already hadheard and read about: a "green growth" revolution istaking place in China. In Europe, we are happy to seethat carbon pricing and emissions trading is inspiringseveral of our international partners. At the start of my mandate, I decided to put climatechange and energy at the agenda of the EuropeanCouncil. Certainly, the sequels of the financial andeconomic crisis, and in particular the necessity tosecure the stability in the Euro zone, have asked a lotof attention of the European Union. Yet we keptclimate and energy policies at the agenda. It is anothersign that economy and ecology go hand in hand. Onlya more sustainable growth will help the world toovercome current and future challenges. We must findthe ways and means to decouple economic growth andthe use of natural resources. ACTION IN EUROPEIn developing a green economy in Europe, we do notstart from scratch. Over the past years, a range oflegislative instruments on biodiversity, wastemanagement, water and air quality have beendeveloped. An emissions trading scheme wasestablished. Binding targets on climate change wereadopted. Moreover, they are on track. We will meet ourbinding target to reduce 20 per cent of greenhouse gasemissions by 2020 compared to 1990 and we willreach 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020. Over 60 per cent of the newly installed capacity forenergy production is based upon renewable sources,mainly wind and solar energy. All this has certainlystimulated the growth of the European "eco industries":they now represent over 2.5 per cent of EU GDP andprovide jobs to more than 3 million people in Europe.The European Council is giving major impulses for thefurther development of the green economy. In Februarythis year, and most exceptionally, we had a meeting ofthe Heads of State and Government especially devotedto the challenges in the field of energy and climatechange. We took a set of important decisions.First of all, we consider that "green growth" is a mainpillar in our new economic strategy, the Europe 2020Strategy. This represents a clear choice for a low-carbon economy with efficient use of resources. Wewill use our scarce resources such as water, land andforests more efficiently. We need to develop the righttools and incentives that will bring us there. TruetoEuropean traditions, it will be a mix of regulatory andmarket-based instruments. One needs the carrots andthe sticks: adequate regulation, but also the rightinvestment in skills, research & development andGREENGROW THIN EUROPEANDBEYONDEnergy and Climate at the Agenda of The European Council130G20 MEMBER COUNTRIESHERMAN VAN ROMPUY, PRESIDENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCILI