Press release
28 June 2010
Ministry of the Environment
Sustainable cities Swedish theme at Expo 2010 in Shanghai
The Government is to hold the Sino-Swedish SymbioCity Forum on 1-2 July at the Swedish Pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The Forum is being held in cooperation with the Chinese Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and will highlight Swedish and Chinese experience and solutions for the sustainable cities of the future. Participants include State Secretaries Elisabet Falemo from the Ministry of the Environment and Ola Alterå from the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications.
"Global urbanisation means that cities will have a key role in combating climate change and tackling environmental problems. In China alone, more than 18 million people move to rapidly growing cities every year. This is an enormous challenge, but also an opportunity to create more energy-efficient solutions and provide opportunities for a better quality of life," says Ms Falemo.
"Swedish experience and environmental technology solutions in this area are very interesting from a Chinese point of view. It is very positive that China wants to cooperate with Sweden to create sustainable cities," says Mr Alterå.
Others participating alongside Ms Falemo and Mr Alterå in the Forum include the Government's coordinator of environmental technology cooperation with China, Mats Denninger, and representatives of several Swedish government agencies, the City of Malmö and around twenty Swedish companies involved in sustainable urban planning and environmental technology.
From the Chinese side, participants include Vice Minister Qiu Baoxing and a large number of decision-makers at national and local level and business representatives. In connection with the Forum, the Ministry of the Environment will sign an agreement with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development concerning cooperation on sustainable cities and environmental technology. On 3 July, the Swedish delegation will also take part in meetings in the city of Wuxi, where Swedish companies are helping to develop a large new eco-city.
Contact
Lennart BodénPress Secretary to Andreas Carlgren
