Beijing, Copenhagen sign deal on development

17  January 2013

COPENHAGEN – The city authorities of Beijing and Copenhagen signed here Wednesday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) strengthening collaboration on sustainable planning and construction, the first since the two capitals entered a twin-city partnership three months ago.

Beijing Vice Mayor Chen Gang and Copenhagen Lord Mayor Frank Jensen inked the deal at a ceremony at Copenhagen Town Hall, which was also attended by delegations from both city’s councils, and Chinese and Danish business representatives.

“We look forward to strengthening the relations between Beijing and Copenhagen in the years to come and we are looking forward to concrete projects between the two cities together with partners from business and industry and also from universities,” Jensen said after signing the MoU.

Launched in June, the “sister-city partnership” between Beijing and Copenhagen is expected to boost cooperation on meeting energy efficiency and renewable energy targets, and in reducing traffic congestion problems in the two cities.

Chen, who is visiting Denmark on September 25-27, said Copenhagen has made great efforts in creating a green and sustainable urban environment.

In a press statement he added that the MoU would “give rise to strong impetus for both sides to carry out practical communication and cooperation in relevant areas, from which citizens of (our) respective cities will surely benefit.”

Under the MoU, the two cities will establish a working group on sustainability in planning and construction, with the group set to meet at least once a year to advance dialogue and cooperation and involve enterprises from both sides, the statement added.

Practical benefits accruing to both cities from the partnership include developing sustainable urban heating and cooling infrastructure, and public transport systems.

For instance, Copenhagen will launch in 2013 a pilot program testing Chinese-built, full-length electric buses in the Danish capital, to help reduce noise and air pollution in the city.

Meanwhile, a Danish company has already carried out a restructuring of urban heating systems in Niujie community in Beijing, resulting in around 31 percent and 13 percent savings in electric power and heat consumption, respectively.

“We want to transform our cities, both Copenhagen and Beijing, to make them more livable and green,” Jensen told Xinhua.

“In Copenhagen, we have some sustainable solutions we have developed in the last 20 years, and we want to show to Beijing what does and does not work when it comes to transforming a big city like Beijing from a carbon intensive to a low-carbon city,” he added.

Copenhagen, for instance, has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent between 1995 and 2012, not least because 97 percent of Copenhagen households are connected to the district heating grid, which taps waste heat generated by power plants, and uses it to heat city homes.

Jensen said future areas of cooperation between the two cities would include partnerships on district heating and cooling, as well as reducing loss of water from the urban drinking-water pipe network.

Although greater Copenhagen is home to just 1.2 million residents, compared to nearly 20 million inhabitants in Beijing, Jensen said these technologies could be adapted to suit the scale of the needs of each city, making technical cooperation between the sister cities a realistic goal.