The New Green Deal – New Challenges for China
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- Reinhard Bütikofer, Garrick Utley, Nina Smidt, Daniel Ries, Horst Freitag, Dr. Michael Werz
- (© Germany.info)
On Wednesday, July 22, Consul General Dr. Horst Freitag welcomed almost sixty participants in the German House to a discussion about the “new green deal” in China. This meeting was the first in a series of public policy discussions titled “Talking about China: Germany, China, and the United States in the 21st Century” which is being co-organized by the American Council on Germany and Bucerius Education GmbH. The discussion series focuses on critical debates on economic, environmental, political, and security issues associated with China's international rise and interaction between China, Europe, and the United States of America.
Reinhard Bütikofer and Daniel Ries made opening comments and engaged the participants in a lively discussion. In June, Reinhard Bütikofer was elected to the European Parliament and is now acting as a Deputy Chairman of the Green parliamentary faction and Speaker for the German Green Party delegation (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen). Daniel Ries is currently establishing research coverage of the Alternative Energy industry at Collins Stewart.
Both speakers indicated that although the economic market is strong, the development of environmental-friendly policies and new technologies is developing slowly. China is confronted with a severe environmental pollution. “The crucial problem of the Chinese central government is that it has limited influence on the local and regional authorities”, Reinhard Bütikofer said. But China is not without chances to develop a green market. He added that “China stands at the place, where Europe was in the fifties. New houses could be built with new standards. The German example showed that great industrial development can create new jobs and technologies.” “We are much on the same page”, Daniel Ries agreed. For him, the huge population makes it additionally difficult to react to the pollution. However, although China began to invest in the renewable energy, Ries sees no quick solution.
In May 2009, Bucerius Education GmbH opened an office on Park Avenue, in order to strengthen its contacts with law firms and other institutional partners in the United States. Bucerius Education GmbH is a subsidiary of the Bucerius Law School in Hamburg. The American Council on Germany (ACG) is an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit organization which promotes dialogue among leaders from business, government, and the media in the United States and Europe. Together, Bucerius Education GmbH and the ACG will organize several public policy programs in the coming months on U.S. and European responses to developments in China.
