Federal Councillor Leuthard, also Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, pointed out in her opening speech at the dialogue, that China and Switzerland are particularly affected by climate change because of their topography and geographical location. Faced with a changing climate, the two countries will have to learn to cope with more frequent extreme weather events.
“Mitigation deserves the highest priority, for it fights global warming at its roots and lowers adaptation costs at a later stage. However, more action is also needed to increase climate resilience in order to minimize loss and damage,” said Mrs. Leuthard at the dialogue, who was in China for a working visit from August 10 to 12. “I consider the work that our two countries are doing together to be an excellent example for others and I am looking forward to continuing and extending these projects.”
Switzerland and China have enjoyed bilateral cooperation in the water management field for around fifteen years, with a focus on the impact of climate change on water resources. In April, 2009, China and Switzerland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on water management and hazard prevention, which has led to important developments in the field of water management and disaster risk reduction in both countries. Mrs. Leuthard emphasized the significance of the MoU and the two countries should continue to intensify collaboration under the framework.
Chinese Minister of Water Resources Mr. Chen Lei stressed the importance of dealing with water challenges and water security at the dialogue. He also noted that the HLD provided a conducive platform for the water communities of both countries to exchange in-depth ideas and learn from each other regarding concepts, experiences and technologies in water resources management, flood control and disaster reduction. He also proposed to further expand areas of cooperation and intensify coordination, thus to jointly promote the attainment of water related goals in 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development.
More than a hundred Chinese and Swiss government officials, practitioners and researchers in water management attended the dialogue. Swiss team leaders of the projects funded in China by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) presented their projects to the participants and illustrated the various topics related to their projects. Together with Chinese experts, they addressed the critical topics of integrated water resources and risk management, groundwater management as well as dam safety and risk monitoring.
In the past 15 years, China and Switzerland have developed a solid cooperation in the water domain, which aims at identifying integrated solutions for water management, enhancing capacity building and facilitating knowledge exchange. As part of the MoU signed in 2009, various concrete projects have already generated remarkable outcomes.
Two new projects were launched in China at the beginning of 2015. The large-scale regional project in the Jinsha River basin explores the challenges of risk and water management under conditions of changing climate. The project in north China plain aims at developing and applying an integrated real-time monitoring, modelling and controlling system to support groundwater management under climate change conditions.
*The HLD on Water Management was initiated in 2007. It has become a biennial event and is being held in Switzerland and China respectively.
