China and Russia will jointly monitor cross-border rivers to
ensure water quality, according to an agreement signed in Beijing
yesterday.
The water bodies under joint surveillance include Heilong,
Wusuli, Erguna and Suifen rivers and Xingkai Lake.
"The agreement marks a substantive step in environmental
protection cooperation between China and Russia," said Zhou
Shengxian,?head of the State Environmental Protection
Administration (SEPA).
A chemical spill last November into Songhua River, the biggest
tributary of Heilong River, threatened water security for both
Chinese and Russians living downriver.
Zhou and Yuri Trutnev, Russian minister of natural resources,
also agreed to work out plans to deal with emergencies.
Trutnev praised the Chinese government for its quick response in
handling the pollution in Songhua River and said that Beijing
should consider setting up a mechanism to punish enterprises
responsible for environmental crises.
"I hope monitoring cross-border rivers is just the beginning for
cooperation on environmental protection," Zhou said.
(China Daily February 22, 2006)