TIANJIN, China, July 2 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- On June 22nd, during his visit in Japan, Tianjin mayor Huang Xingguo met with Masaru Hashimoto, governor of Japan's Ibaraki prefecture, at the Hotel Okura Tokyo, where the two signed the "Memorandum on the Environmental Cooperation between the Tianjin Municipality of the People's Republic of China and Ibaraki Prefecture of the Nation of Japan."
Tianjin and Japan have already established a solid foundation for cooperation in matters of environmental protection over the course of their long history of working together. The cooperation between the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area and Ibaraki prefecture was yet another addition to the 2009 framework for Sino-Japanese cooperation in environmental protection. Additionally, with the active promotion of the two countries' leaders and relevant departments, the city of Tianjin and Ibaraki prefecture have signed this environmental protection cooperation agreement, which symbolizes the beginning of a new era in history for cooperation between Tianjin and Japan on environmental matters. The establishment of a "Joint Sino-Japanese (International) TEDA Low Carbon Cooperation Model Area" in the Development Area is also well underway thanks to the full and comprehensive support of the two parties' governments.
The city of Tsukuba, located in Ibaraki prefecture, is home to the largest national science and technology organization in Japan, and it is a leader among other districts, especially in the research, development, popularization and application of energy-saving and environmentally-friendly technologies. In addition, the enterprises of Ibaraki prefecture, located mainly in the city of Hitachi and the Kashima Industrial Zone, have accumulated a wealth of experience as they have striven for many years to research and develop industrial energy-saving and environmentally-friendly technology. This cooperation between Tianjin and Ibaraki prefecture will leverage Japan's experience to make TEDA China's most cutting-edge low carbon economic area.