Japan and China pledged to promote cooperation on the energy conservation and environment protection during their second high-level economic dialogue held in Tokyo on Sunday.

"China attaches great importance on saving the energy and protecting the ecology, while Japan has broad experience and advanced technologies on these areas." said Zhang Ping, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission. "So the two countries can achieve win-win results through close cooperation."

Zhang said in recent years China and Japan already conducted active collaboration on energy and environment conservation. This has become a new highlight among the wide range of cooperation between the two countries and provided a new growing point for bilateral trade and economy.

The two Asian giants have established an annual forum on energy conservation and environment protection. Many business-level projects are signed via the platform, according to Zhang.

He said more cooperation will be conducted on countermeasures of sandstorms, air pollution and treatment of garbage and sewage in small cities and towns.

The two sides also signed a cooperation contract on turning Shenyang, which used to be a heavy industrial city in China's northeast, into an environment conservation "sample city" through cooperation with Japan's Kawasaki of Kanagawa Prefecture, which is renowned for its recycling economy.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2009)