China and Denmark discussed cooperation on climate change issues during a meeting in Beijing yesterday.

Addressing the meeting, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the current global economic crisis should not be a cause for delaying action on climate change.

"No doubt, the financial crisis will be used as an excuse to water down the climate change agenda," Rasmussen said.

He said increased spending on environmentally friendly technology could help stimulate¹ an economic rebound².

As the host country of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2009, Denmark is seeking support from China.

Xie Zhenhua, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, in charge of climate policies, said: "As a responsible developing country, the Chinese government attaches great importance to the issues of climate change.

"China is stepping up its efforts to control and reduce greenhouse gas emission³."

As the country strives to reach the domestic target of reducing energy intensity⁴ by 20 percent from 2006 to 2010, Xie estimated this year will witness at least 4 percent year-on-year reduction in energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP), a bigger step forward than the 3.66 percent reduction last year.

Rasmussen is offering China advanced technologies on clean and renewable energy. He is accompanied by five top Danish companies - Novozymes, Arkitema, Danfoss, Grundfos and Vestas.

The companies deal in enzymes⁶, passive building designs, energy-conserving temperature control systems, and pump and wind power plants.

If China could adopt the technologies, it could reduce 800 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually⁷ by 2020, a report released yesterday by McKinsey & Co said.

Steen Riisgaard, president and CEO of Novozymes, a leading enzyme⁵ producer, said: "Biotech will allow China to produce more than what it can get from the petrochemical industry."

Niels Christiansen, president and CEO of industrial conglomerate⁸ Danfoss, said: "We are very proud of our presence and growth in China since our entry in the mid-1990s. With production and R&D centers in China, our annual sales are about 2.8 billion yuan ($411.7 million) and we have 3,000 employees."

Carsten Bjerg, CEO and group president of Grundfos, a leading pump manufacturer, said: "The China market is incredibly important to us - we see it as our second home market."