China and the U.S. are similar in some very important ways. We are the number one and two producers of CO2 in the global atmosphere. China's rate of increase is much faster than ours. We both are intensely dependent on coal in our energy production system. We are both getting increasingly interested, therefore, in how one can provide the energy goods and services with less CO2 and other things that go along with it.
China is intensely interested in energy efficiency as well.
So this and other subjects led us to a forum that enabled us to scan across a number of present bilateral technical activities going on between different agencies of our government and China to cut across these and try to provide a way of looking at the notion of sustainable development through four different examples. One is the use of science and technology throughout the system. Second is the energy system. Third is the environment in both these countries and things that can affect that. And fourth is the role of commerce in transforming knowledge into technical capabilities for achieving both environmental protection and production.