From November 12 to 16, 2013, WRI President Dr. Andrew Steer made his second visit to China since taking office. On his tour, he signed on behalf of WRI the MOUs on long-term cooperation with China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) and Beijing Municipal Committee of Transport (BMCT), respectively. Dr. Steer also attended the 2013 annual conference of CCICED as its member, and was received by Chinese Premier LI Keqiang on the afternoon of November 14.

On November 12, 2013 in Beijing, WRI and CDRF signed an MOU on long-term strategic cooperation on mutually interested areas including sustainable urbanization, low-carbon and resource-saving development.

On November 13, 2013 in Beijing, WRI and Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport (BMCT) signed an MOU for a long-term strategic partnership to deepen collaboration and technical exchange on a number of issues, including transport planning, transport and environment, public campaign and education on green transport, and other sustainable transport related issues. The partnership would aim to address the city’s most acute air pollution and traffic congestion problems. WRI will also support capacity building of BMCT through activities such as on-the-job training, technical exchanges, mid-career education, and the exchange of scholars with world-class research institutes and companies.

On November 14, 2013 in Beijing, WRI and CCICED signed an MOU to establish a long-term strategic partnership focused on effective policy research and policy recommendations to help China meet its environmental and development challenges. The top priorities for the new partnership include China’s most urgent environmental concerns: the green transition, air quality, water stress, and sustainable urbanization.