Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) spoke of China’s achievements in advancing the green and decarbonization transition and expressed his expectation for China to play a bigger role in renewable energy and low carbon technologies, during his first visit to Beijing after the pandemic. As climate governance requires joint effort of all countries, he said IEA is willing to deepen the cooperation and exchange with China at the July 4 reception supported by Energy Foundation China and the Institute of Energy at Peking University.

When welcoming Dr. Birol, Zou Ji, CEO and President of Energy Foundation China, said that the IEA head has been promoting global climate governance and green energy cooperation between China and Europe since he became the executive director in 2015. Zou Ji also said that EF China is looking forward to collaborating with IEA on topics such as green economic recovery, low carbon energy transition, and climate change. The two organizations entered into a memorandum of understanding in November 2022.

More than 50 prominent guests attended the reception, including the moderator, Yang Lei, Vice President of the Institute of Energy, as well as officials and experts from China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Ecology and Environment, NDRC’s Energy Research Institute, the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute, Sinopec, Trina Solar, IEA, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, etc.

Dr. Birol was also officially named a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering during the visit.