On June 6, 2017, the Ministerial Forum on Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) Technology was held in the China National Convention Center in Beijing. The Forum was one of the important side events of the Eighth Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM8) and the Second Mission Innovation Ministerial (MI2). Wan Gang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Minister of Science and Technology attended the Forum and delivered opening remarks.

Minister Wan Gang pointed out that over the past 10 years or so China had paid active attention and given great support to the development of CCUS and undertaken a series of work to push forward the advancement of the technology. The efforts made by China include: specifying the R&D strategy and development direction of CCUS; stepping up support for the research, development and demonstration of CCUS; attaching importance to the research, development and promotion of CO2 utilization technology; and paying attention to CCUS-related capacity building and international exchanges and cooperation. 

Minister Wan Gang stressed that attention should be paid to the utilization of CO2 in the development of CCUS so that certain economic benefits can be generated through “changing waste into treasure”, while achieving carbon emissions reduction and addressing climate change. This will give enterprises incentives to make more inputs. To accelerate the development of CCUS, Minister Wan Gang suggested that full attention be paid to the following three principles:
1. Pool the political will for the development of CCUS, and closely connect CCUS with each country’s national conditions and development goals;
2. Give equal treatment to CCUS and other clean energy technologies, and promote the R&D and demonstration of CCUS technology;
3. Pay attention to the protection of intellectual property rights and the exchange of technical results and R&D experience. Minister Wan expressed the hope that CEM8 and MI2 could be taken as an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation among countries of the world and international organizations and that a sustainable development perspective be adopted to incorporate CCUS into the scope of clean energy technology and coordinate the research, development and demonstration of CCUS technology worldwide. 

Under the theme of “The Role of CCUS in the CEM Context”, the Ministerial Forum discussed the current status and future challenges of CCUS and related experience of international cooperation, especially the role which the CEM can play in the development of CCUS. US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Søviknes, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, Canadian Minister of Natural Resources James Gordon Carr, EU Director General for Energy Dominique Ristori, Australian Deputy Secretary of Environment and Energy Joanne Leigh Evans, senior executives of private companies in the CCUS field and the head of the CEM Secretariat were invited to attend and address the conference. Nearly 100 experts and scholars from more than ten countries also took part in the Forum.