CHINA is looking into tapping geothermal energy resources and is planning
to build a group of medium-sized geothermal power stations throughout the
country's southwestern region.

These stations will be built in Tibet and the western areas of Sichuan
and Yunnan provinces by 2020, notes a senior official with the State
Development Planning Commission (SDPC).

China's emphasis will be on developing geothermal resources with
reservoir temperatures over 200 degrees centigrade in Yangbajing of
Tibet, the official said.

The largest unit capacity in Yangbajing will reach 10 MWe by 2000.

China will also build such power stations with a capacity of 3-5 MWe in
Ruili, in the western part of Yunnan Province, and explore the geothermal
resources in Tengchong, also in Yunnan, and the western part of Sichuan
Province by the turn of the century, the official said.

China has discovered 3,000 hot spring sites, 2,200 of which record
temperatures higher than 25 degrees centigrade, the official said.

The country has developed a geothermal power capacity of 28.6 MWe. The
high-temperature resources are distributed mainly in Tibet, Yunnan and
Taiwan.

China has a long history in utilizing geothermal energy, the official
noted. However, large-scale exploration only began 20 years ago, with
geothermal energy utilization totalling 2,410 MWe.

Geothermal energy has been widely used around the world within various
sectors, including industry and agriculture and greenhouse and heating,
the official added.

National ministry-level departments and regional governments in China
are seeking more efficient ways to implement sustainable development
strategies.

Relevant laws and regulations should contribute to the smooth completion
of ongoing key projects in critical areas, said Nie Zhenbang.

These areas include the Liaohe, Haihe and Huaihe rivers, and the Taihu,
Chaohu and Dianchi lakes.

Nie is director of the Land and Regional Planning Department under the
State Development Planning Commission (SDPC). He made these remarks at
a conference on sustainable regional development attended by participants
from 16 cities responsible for the implementation of sustainable local
development. The conference opened yesterday in Beijing.

"Sustainable development doesn't simply mean injecting more money and
approving new projects. It means that governments and the public should
treasure limited natural resources and seek economic growth in harmony
with social, population and environmental development," Nie said.

The 16 cities attending the conference were selected in 1996 by the SDPC
and the Ministry of Science and Technology as pilot areas for the
integration of sustainable development with local economic growth.

According to the participants, most cities face similar difficulties--
insufficient funds, lack of information, and little experience in
practising sustainable development strategies.

These difficulties are likely to be minimized thanks to a national
network which provides updated domestic and overseas information on
sustainable development.

The network, which was constructed in late 1995 at the Administration
Centre for China's Agenda 21 (ACCA 21), distributes a wide variety of
information in Chinese and English.

This information includes implementation details of the 87 priority
programmes in China's sustainable development plan, the situation
regarding sustainable development in other countries, and policies and
documents related to China's sustainable development, according to Wang
Qiming, an ACCA 21 official in charge of network operation.

By the end of the year, the network will present more information on
agricultural and industrial development, reserves and distribution of the
country's natural resources, precipitation analysis since the foundation
of the People's Republic of China in 1949, global climate changes, and
geomorphological conditions in different areas of China.

More extensive information will help regional policy-makers work out more
scientific economic and social development plans, said Wang.

China has made remarkable progress since it implemented sustainable
development strategies in 1994, said Lu Lei, an official from the Beijing
Office for the United Nations Development Programme.

Sustainable development seeks economic development compatible with the
natural environment. Its implementation should not be restricted to
governments, but also involve individuals, enterprises and communities,
he said.

CHINA and the United States have signed protocols establishing
partnerships between two pairs of oceanic nature reserves in their
nations.

The protocols were signed last week.

Tianjin Ancient Coast and Wetland Nature Reserve and Sanya Coral Reef
Nature Reserve in China established partnerships with US-based Chesapeake
Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary respectively.

Bilateral co-operation between the countries involving comprehensive
management of oceans and coastal areas has taken place for years, note
sources with the State Oceanic Administration (SOA).

Sixteen projects will be carried out in the next few years -- mapping out
coastal management policies and programmes, training concerned personnel
and educating the public on ecological environmental protection.

SOA director Zhang Dengyi led a delegation visiting the National Oceanic
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) headquarters in the United States
earlier this month.

The delegation was invited by NOAA director D James Backer.

Delegations from both countries agree, given the continuing global
population growth, expanding demands for oceanic resources and burdens
placed on the oceanic environment, rational utilization of oceans is
becoming more difficult to control.

Both countries face similar problems -- including reduced fishery
resources, damaged coastal habitats and polluted oceans and coastlines.

High-level visits will expand bilateral co-operations and promote and
develop oceanic efforts, SOA sources suggested.

SOA and NOAA signed the US-China Protocol of Co-operation in the fields
of Marine and Fisheries Science and Technology nearly 20 years ago.

There have been increasing oceanic-related co-operations and exchanges,
contributing to the development of oceanic and fishery science and
technology in both countries, during that period, SOA sources added.

The delegations' members also discussed the effects of oceans on the
atmosphere, the El Nino phenomenon and oceanic disasters.

They plan to continue co-operating within these fields.

CHINA is planning to clean up the environment -- through extended
bilateral collaborations.

The State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa) is contacting
numerous countries to try and develop environmental protection
partnerships.

More than 20 new bilateral projects will be undertaken, with some
implemented within the year, according to Wang Zhijia, director of the
Department of International Co-operation under Sepa.

Japanese Government has agreed to assist China, during an eight-year
period, in its fight against acid rain.

Canada will continue funding the China Council for International
Co-operation of Environment and Development -- which will help the
council draft national, sustainable development policies, Wang said.

The council, established by the Chinese Government in 1992, is a
consulting group composed of international environmental specialists.

The council examines environmental problems in China and makes proposals
to the nation's policy makers.

Projects will also be carried out with Japan and Germany to create an
environmental information network in 100 Chinese cities, and to train
Chinese personnel to follow international standards, the Chinese official
said.

China will honour commitments made through various international
environmental agreements and conventions signed in recent years, Wang
added.

China accepts its responsibility in helping maintain a clean Earth, Wang
continued.

China participates in international environmental events and spares no
effort in promoting international co-operation and fulfilling its
international obligations, Wang said.

Sepa data suggests China has established initiatives with 22 countries
and numerous international organizations -- including the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) and the Global Environment Facilities (GEF).

China received US$2.2 billion in loans and US$300 million in grants to
fund such international projects, in addition to advanced technology and
experience, Wang noted.

China may receive a grant of between US$180 million and US$200 million
from GEF every three years for environmental projects, provided the
country has feasible proposals.

GEF, established in 1991, is an international financial organization
managed by UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank. It collects donations worldwide
and provides grants and funding to developing countries for environmental
protection projects.

DURING an international seminar on biotechnology which concluded on
Wednesday in Beijing, 200 Chinese and German bio-tech scientists
introduced their latest research results, and discussed the potential
for further co-operation.

"I was approached by people from two Chinese research institutes during
the one-and-a-half-hour lunch break," said Professor Gerhard Seibert
towards the end of the first day's discussion. He is in charge of the
health care division of Hoechst, a major German chemical company.

Seibert said Chinese scientists expressed their interest in establishing
co-operative relations with his research operation.

The two-day event is part of the ongoing fourth Exhibition-Congress on
Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.

Of the 416 exhibitors from 21 countries and regions, 17 per cent are
involved in research and the application of biotechnology, and 31 per
cent provide biotechnological support for the pharmaceutical industry.

According to Professor Gerhard Kreysa, president of the German Society
for Chemical Apparatus, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, the
exhibition focused on the latest developments in natural product
biotechnology.

"China has abundant natural resources and thousands of years of medical
experience that involves natural products such as herbs." he said.

Zhao Aimin, deputy director of the China National Centre for
Biotechnology Development (CNCBD), said Germany has state-of-the-art
biotechnology research equipment. "It is good at combining
industrialization with scientific research."

Under a Sino-German pact signed last year, CNCBD and the Federal German
Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology will co-operate
on biotechnology.

FINAL preparations are under way for certification, within international
standards, of China's environmentally friendly "green enterprises."

Candidates for inspectors have completed the first examination of
ISO14000 international standards, adopted in more than 120 countries.

The examination was conducted by the China Accreditation Committee for
Environmental Management System Certification Bodies (CACEB) under the
State Environmental Protection Administration.

Three hundred and sixty-seven of the 470 candidates passed the
examination, and will soon receive their certificates.

The first group of certification bodies will begin monitoring and
approving enterprises' environmental management systems this year,
notes CACEB Secretary-General Chen Yanping.

Environmental issues have become a global concern, grabbing the attention
of many nations and organizations, due to people's increasing concern
about their lives and environmental conditions.

The International Standards Organization (ISO) set up a special committee
for environmental management system standardization in 1993.

The committee developed a series of standards, ISO14000, for
environmental management systems in 1996.

The standards encourage enterprises to adopt strict environmental
management practices, minimizing their adverse impacts on the environment.

The standards seek to improve industrial practices and strengthen
pollution control throughout the production process.

China joined the environmental management system certification programme
in 1996, and established an environmental management system inspection
centre.

Large-scale publicity activities have been carried out nationwide.

Trial certification for environmental management systems was launched in
1996. Fifty-five enterprises have taken part.

Twenty-seven of these firms -- including manufacturers of electrical
products, chemicals, machinery and pharmaceuticals -- have achieved
ISO14000 standards.

Enterprises have gained economic benefits and reduced energy consumption
by establishing environmental management systems, notes Chen.

Qingdao Haier Group Ltd in Shandong Province is one example.

The company introduced ISO14000 standards into its refrigerator
production line, and subsequently reduced the use of materials which can
cause pollution.

Product output has doubled in the past two years and Qingdao Haier has
become one of the world's top 10 refrigerator manufacturers.