VZCZCXRO7511
PP RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #2536/01 1070631
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 170631Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6947
RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHDC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUCPDC/NOAA NMFS WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 002536 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/WATSON, OES/EGC-DEROSA-JOYNT AND OES/PCI 
STATE FOR APP/GTHOMPSON 
STATE FOR EAP/CM - WARD 
STATE PASS TO CEQ CONNAUGHTON AND BANKS 
NSC FOR HUNTER, SHRIER, TONG 
USDOE FOR INTERNATIONAL/HARBERT, FREDRICKSEN, AND GEBERT 
USDOE FOR S-1 MWILLIAMSON AND JKUPFER 
USDOE FOR EERE PDICKERSON, JMIZROCH, AND MGINSBERG 
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL/MCASKILL AND AYRIS 
USDOC FOR JNEUHOFF 
 
E.O.  12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG TRGY PREL PGOV SENV CH
SUBJECT:  U.S. -CHINA ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY 
TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION - MINISTRY OF CONTRUTION EAGER TO LEAD IN 
GREEN BUILDING TECHNOLOY 
 
REF. (A) Beijing 02535     (B) Beijing 00346 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  On the margins of the Third International 
Conference on Intelligent Green and Energy Efficient Building 
Technologies and Products Expo (Intelligent Building Technology 
Conference), Vice Minister of the Ministry of Construction (MOC) Qiu 
Baoxing shared his vision for expanding the use of green building 
technology throughout China with Mark Ginsberg, Member of the Board 
of Directors, DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 
(DOE EERE).  Qiu plans to work with 30 key Chinese city Mayors to 
build a green building, akin to Beijing's Agenda 21 Building, in 
each of their cities and to demonstrate the versatility of green 
building technology through application to mixed developments and 
new building types.  MOC is eager to partner with the DOE to conduct 
negotiations on the Energy Efficiency Green Buildings Annex (EERE 
Annex) to the "Protocol between the Department of Energy and the 
Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China 
for Cooperation in the Fields of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
Energy Technology (EERE Protocol)" and proposes three projects to 
implement the energy efficiency and green building technology 
cooperation.  End Summary. 
 
Vice Minister Qiu Baoxing's Vision for Green Building Design in 
China 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Mark Ginsberg, DOE EERE joined Richard Fedrizzi, Chief 
Operating Officer and President of the U.S. Green Building Council 
(USGBC) for a meeting with Vice Minister Qiu Baoxing on the margins 
of the Intelligent Building Technology Conference on March 27, 2007. 
 Fedrizzi introduced Ginsberg to the Vice Minister as the DOE 
official who recognized the value of funding Leadership in Energy 
and Environmental Design (LEED) and the USGBC.  A former Mayor, Qiu 
understands the importance of working locally.  Qiu plans to work 
with 30 key Mayors to build a green building, akin to Beijing's 
Agenda 21 Building (Ref. A), in each of their cities.  His purpose 
is to demonstrate the feasibility of green building construction and 
promote green building technologies in key areas outside Beijing. 
 
Qiu, a Green Building Believer, Shares Plans for Sowing Green 
Building Technology in China 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶3. (SBU)  After attending a USGBC meeting three years ago, VM Qiu 
signed an agreement to pursue a GBC Chapter in China.  Qiu hopes to 
see 70 local GB Councils to comprise the China Green Building 
Council and to establish a World GBC chapter in China.  Vice 
Minister Qiu views GBCs as important for local governments and wants 
a GBC presence in China. The Ministry of Construction is the 
principal designer and sponsor of the Intelligent Building 
Technology Conference. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Qiu plans to replace the outdated Mayor's Training Center 
in Beijing with a building that employs green building and energy 
efficient technologies.  It is important to introduce the concept of 
green and energy efficient construction technologies by having a 
training facility that showcases the technologies, Qiu observed. 
Qiu indicated that, as the first LEED Gold certified building in 
China, the Agenda 21 Building has been a valuable model for green 
buildings in China. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Qiu wants to expand the green building concept to 10 
different types of buildings covering a range of uses and 
industries.  The purpose of the plan is to demonstrate the 
applicability of green building design technology to industrial, 
residential, commercial, and mixed use developments in China. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Ginsberg explained that one of his primary purposes in 
Beijing is to discuss the establishment of a Center of Excellence on 
the second floor of the Agenda 21 Building with MOST.  Ginsberg 
hopes that MOC will also participate in the Center of Excellence, a 
project intended to showcase United States green building 
technology. 
 
BEIJING 00002536  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
 
Ministry of Construction Eager to Partner with DOE 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Ginsberg also met with Han Aixing, Deputy Director General 
and Senior Engineer, Department of Science and Technology, MOC on 
March 29, 2007 (Ref. A) to discuss the process for negotiating the 
EE Annex and ideas for projects to be included.  Ginsberg 
congratulated the Ministry on the excellent Intelligent Building 
Technology Conference just concluded, and praised Vice Minister 
Qiu's plan to build green building demonstration projects in various 
Chinese cities as a good step in gaining wide acceptance for green 
building technology in China. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Han applauded the signing of the EERE Protocol with MOST 
(Ref. B), and noted the great influence that the Agenda 21 Building 
has had throughout China.  Han recalled that he had been involved in 
the initial planning and early construction stages for the Agenda 21 
Building, but that ultimate responsibility for its development had 
been given to MOST. MOST funds MOC's green building technology 
construction projects. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Ginsberg outlined the proposal for the Annex, including 
the establishment of a Steering Committee for the Agenda 21 Building 
Center of Excellence, with the view that perhaps MOC could 
participate in the Center's development.  By way of introducing the 
areas of cooperation for inclusion in the EE Annex, Han stated that 
MOC had built a building similar to the Agenda 21 Building, but had 
not fully realized the building's energy efficiency targets.  Han 
hopes that, as a result of the cooperation with DOE, the time has 
come to begin discussing how to realize those targets. 
 
Potential Areas of Cooperation 
------------------------------ 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Han identified three areas of cooperation for DOE's 
consideration: 
 
a) Construct a mixed use (e.g., residential, commercial, 
entertainment, educational) high performance and environmentally 
sound building to demonstrate the versatility of energy efficiency 
building technology; 
 
b) Conduct a series of training courses on zero energy buildings 
targeted at local officials (Mayors) and design professionals; 
 
c) Construct a new Mayor's training center using energy efficiency 
technology thus providing the Mayors with personal experience with a 
green building. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Ginsberg presented a draft of the EE Annex to serve as 
the basis for future discussions and exchanges.  Noting that the 
Center of Excellence is one of the areas of cooperation already 
included in the EE Annex, Ginsberg indicated that the EE Annex will 
serve as the framework for future cooperation between DOE and MOC. 
DOE will consider the MOC's specific proposals and work to reach 
agreement on the type of assistance DOE will provide.  Ginsberg 
requested clarification of whether the proposal for the Mayor's 
training center was one of the 10 green building demonstration 
projects that MOC is planning to build.  Han said that he will 
clarify the proposal, and indicated that they are interested in 
technical assistance on a variety of building types.  Han and 
Ginsberg agreed to negotiate the EE Annex by exchanging electronic 
versions of the text. 
 
DOE to Provide Technical Assistance and to Explore Additional 
Collaboration 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶12.  (SBU) When Han suggested that DOE consider providing financial 
support for building construction, Ginsberg advised that DOE does 
not fund capital projects, even in the United States.  Rather, DOE 
 
BEIJING 00002536  003 OF 003 
 
 
provides technical assistance, such as evaluating the design program 
for soundness in reaching maximum energy efficiency.  Han indicated 
that he would like to follow the cooperation model DOE had used with 
MOST. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Ginsberg explored other collaborative efforts, such as 
inviting a group of city Mayor's to attend the Green Building 
Council conference in Chicago or a visit to the DOE National 
Renewable Energy Laboratory.  Additionally DOE will explore how it 
can participate in 2008's Intelligent Building Technology 
Conference.  Han noted that Great Britain is already actively 
involved in the Conference because it wants to be a major player in 
the reduction of greenhouse gases. 
 
 
¶14.   (SBU)  Participants: 
 
Ministry of Construction, Peoples Republic of China: 
 
Han Aixing, 
Deputy Director General, Department of Science and Technology 
 
Peng Mengyue, 
Division of International Cooperation and Project Development, 
Center of Science and Technology of Construction, and Center of 
Energy Efficiency in Buildings 
 
Hwang Qin, Senior Engineer, Office of the Organizing Committee of 
the Intelligent Building Technology Conference 
 
United States: 
 
Mark Ginsberg, Member of the Board of Directors, DOE Office of 
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 
 
Maria Holleran Rivera, Attach, DOE China Office, Embassy of the 
United States 
 
Shao Jun, Interpreter, DOE China Office 
 
 
RANDT