ECA recognizes that China can take a decisive leadership role in international environmental support for the goals of sustainability, and honors the important efforts underway. Chinese environmental agencies, organizations, and scientists are focusing on the strategic choices that China will need to make to grow, innovate and contribute to world sustainability while the country experiences rapid industrialization.

ECA is interested in building creative links between Chinese sustainability efforts and those in other areas of the world for the purposes of sharing technical knowledge, funding resources, and deepening global understanding of best practices. ECA intends to spend at least 50% of its energies on sustainability efforts in China. In addition, an ECA delegation this fall spent four weeks in Beijing and other parts of China to establish collaborative working relationships with Chinese NGOs and leaders in the fields of sustainable development and environmental protection in China. Highlights of the ECA visit in September and October 2005 included:

• University of Peking, College of Environmental Sciences – The ECA delegation met with Professor C.S. Kiang, dean of the College of Environmental Sciences, and other department professors, who presented information about environmental projects underway and discussed the need for NGO funding, support, and international linkages.

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – The ECA delegation met with Khalid Malik, U.N. Resident Coordinator in China, to discuss areas of potential collaboration.

• Earth Council – China, Oriental Environmental Institute (OEI) – Professor Qu Geping, founder of the OEI, organized this NGO conference. Hosting the event was Yan Jiying, owner of the Mt. Mianshan resort and the nearby Sanjia Coal-Chemistry Co., Ltd. coal plant. The ECA team toured the plant to learn about a technique used to process coal so that volatile constituents, such as sulfur and ash, are reduced, which significantly reduces emissions associated with the combustion stage. Attendees of the conference included representatives from Chinese NGOs, the Environmental Management College of China, Global Village of Beijing, and Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) of China. ECA honored Yan Jiying with a certificate for his clean coal technology and development of the Mt. Mianshan resort, a sustainable tourism venture.

• 2005 Global Human Settlements Forum – Maurice Strong delivered the keynote speech at this Shenzhen event, which was organized by the Communication Coordination Committee for the United Nations.

• Environmental Management College of China (EMCC) – the ECA team met at the EMCC campus in Quinhuangdao with the EMCC Director, Professor Wang Lixin, and other professors, who presented their top projects, including development of a global sustainable training center, waste management operation, wetlands protection projects, and the construction of a "green campus." A leader in Asia, EMCC educates 5,000 students a year and is the only environmental training college of its kind in China. ECA Chairman Tommy Short and President Marcelo de Andrade were named honorary professors of EMCC.

• Global Village of Beijing (GVB) – ECA met with Sheri Liao, the organization’s founder and president in its Beijing offices. Among GVB’s many projects is the formation of a Green Olympic Action Plan, which is promoting collaboration with the Beijing Olympic Committee for the 2008 Games to ensure that activities are environmentally sound and that events actively promote ecological awareness and environmental harmony.

• State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) – Tommy Short, Sheri Liao, and Ambassador Daniel Stauffacher met with SEPA vice-minister, Pan Yue. SEPA has taken bold moves to reduce the environmental problems caused by industrialization in China. Mr. Pan Yue expressed his interest in collaboration with ECA, particularly through a joint conference or platform for dialogue pertaining to traditional values in China and their relationship to China’s rapid industrial development and the impact on environmental quality.

• Global Village of Beijing – ECA: NGO Forum – thirty Chinese NGOs convened to focus on topics related to environmental protection. Gathering for the event sponsored by ECA and GVB were grassroots leaders of the sustainable development movement in China. NGO representatives described projects and engaged in active dialogue, which focused on topics such as, “Spirituality and Sustainability: Chinese Traditional Values in Cooperation with the Earth Charter.”

• OEI – ECA Dinner – The month-long series of meetings culminated with a dinner hosted by ECA in honor of Professor Qu Geping and his organization, the Oriental Environmental Institute. ECA Chairman Tommy Short presented Professor Qu Geping with a grant from the Tommy E. Short Charitable Foundation to support OEI’s programs. The two organizations also agreed to work toward establishing joint offices in Beijing.