China and the European Union will deepen cooperation in water management by establishing a new platform for sharing experiences as the two sides are faced with the increasing challenges of urbanization and climate change, officials from the two parties said in France on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Water Resources of China and the European Council announced a joint statement on building the China Europe Water Platform during the World Water Forum on Wednesday. The new platform will sustain existing cooperation between the two sides and bring it to a higher level, officials said.

Under the new platform, the two parties will strengthen cooperation in water technology research and policymaking in managing key river basins. The new platform also encourages the private sector to participate in water management in China and Europe and explore new fields of common interests, the statement says.

"Enhancing cooperation and exchanges in the water sector between China and Europe is of great significance to both sides, and even for the whole world," Chen Lei, China's water minister, said at the signing ceremony.

Denmark will lead the initiative from the European side, said Ida Auken, president of the EU Council of Ministers for Environment. Portugal will be the co-leader of the program for Europe.

The platform, which will remain in place for the next five years, will be implemented within the framework of the EU Water Initiative, according to European officials.

The initiative was launched in 2002 by the EU to promote better water governance and strengthen political commitments for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals in the water sector.

China will invest 4 trillion yuan in the water sector over the next decade, and that offers opportunities for more stakeholders from the European side, said Yang Derui, director general of Development Research Center, a research institution under the Ministry of Water Resources.

The business sectors and research bodies from China and Europe will be the main pillars of the new platform, said Michela Tagliaferri, project manager of the EU Delegation to China and Mongolia.

The statement was signed as the EU-China River Basin Management Program comes to an end this July.

The program, started in 2000, has witnessed cooperation between the two sides in managing two of China's largest rivers, including the conservation of the Yellow River basin and the rehabilitation project of the Yangtze River. The EU funded $ 32.6 million for the program, and China invested $126 million.

"China and Europe cooperation in water resources has yielded fruitful achievements," Chen said.

In addition to coordination at the European level, China's water resources ministry has also signed bilateral agreements or memorandums with water authorities of 17 European countries, according to Chen.

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