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The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, will depart for Berlin tomorrow night (November 29) to share with the German authorities their experience in energy saving and energy efficiency as well as to attend the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group meetings and the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris.
Mr Wong will start his itinerary in Berlin on November 30 (Berlin time) to meet with the Director General for Energy Policy (Heating and Efficiency) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Mr Thorsten Herdan, to discuss policies relating to energy saving. He will then visit a multinational conglomerate to know more about an energy-saving partnership project which encourages the local community to reduce carbon emissions.
In the morning on December 1 (Berlin time), Mr Wong will meet with the Chief Executive of the German Energy Agency (DENA), Mr Andreas Kuhlmann, and the Permanent Secretary for Transport and Environment of the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment, Mr Christian Gaebler, to exchange views on issues of mutual concerns. Mr Wong will also pay a courtesy call on the Chinese Ambassador to Germany, Mr Shi Mingde.
In the afternoon, he will visit a waste management centre in Berlin to see its work on waste recycling and waste management. Afterwards, he will meet the Director General for Climate Protection Policy, European and International Affairs of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Mr Franzjosef Schafhausen.
In the morning on December 2 (Berlin time), Mr Wong will visit a high-technology site which has a cluster of innovative businesses to get to know how energy saving can be achieved. He will also go to a recyclables sorting plant to see its operation.
Mr Wong will depart in the same afternoon for his next stop, Paris, where he will attend the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group meetings and COP21.
From December 3 to 6 (Paris time), Mr Wong will attend the C40 Steering Committee meeting, Climate Summit for Local Leaders, C40 Forum and other related events.
On December 7 (Paris time), Mr Wong will attend the COP21 High-level Segment. He will also host a Hong Kong session at the China Pavilion at COP21 to expound on the solutions adopted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to deal with extreme climate risks.
Mr Wong will continue to attend the COP21 High-level Segment on December 8 (Paris time) before concluding his visit and departing for Hong Kong on December 9 (Paris time).
Ends/Saturday, November 28, 2015
Issued at HKT 18:00
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