On 25 September 2023, EU Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius held with China Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying the second EU-China Water Policy Dialogue meeting in Beijing, China.
During the dialogue, both parties demonstrated a solid dedication to tackling the growing issue of water stress on a national, regional, and global level. They also expressed a willingness to work together on matters of mutual interest, such as managing water resources in an integrated manner, addressing the interrelated issues of water, energy, food, and ecosystems, ensuring water security, adapting to the impacts of climate change, managing flood risk and drought, deploying nature-based solutions effectively, and utilising cutting-edge technologies to make informed decisions.
The European Commissioner agreed with Minister Li to intensify policy dialogue on water, exchange knowledge and best practices on water reuse, flood risk, and drought management.
Moreover, the meeting gave a chance to contemplate the fruitful collaboration between the EU and China at the UN Water Conference held in March. This led to a call for action to all partners to execute the findings of the Interactive Dialogue named “Water for Sustainable Development” and guarantee the implementation of the Water Action Agenda, which was the primary result of the UN 2023 Water Conference.
The first EU - China Water Policy Dialogue was held in April 2019 with the aim of deepening the EU-China cooperation on water, allowing partners to exchange information and experience and provide political steer to the work of the China-Europe Water Platform.