On September 23, 2022, Tsinghua University and Energy Foundation China (EF China) convened a signing ceremony for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two sides in the East Hall of the Gong Zi Ting, Tsinghua University. Wang Xiqin, President of the university, Zeng Rong, Vice President of the university, Zou Ji, EF China CEO and President, and Li Jie, the foundation’s Vice President for Programs attended the ceremony, which was hosted by He Kebin, President of the Institute for Carbon Neutrality at Tsinghua and EF China Board Member.

Zou Ji and Zeng Rong signed the MOU on behalf of the two organizations. With this MOU, the two parties plan to use their strengths in carbon neutrality technology R&D, talent training, and international cooperation to work together in areas such as China’s low carbon transition strategy, carbon neutrality pathways in key industries, governance systems and tools, local implementation and pilots, international climate cooperation, capacity building, and strategic communications. The cooperation aims to promote the research, development, and deployment of key technologies for carbon neutrality; to support related academic disciplines and carbon talents training; and to build a platform of R&D, dissemination, and education for carbon neutrality in China.

Wang thanked EF China for its longtime support to Tsinghua. He said that signing the MOU on the first anniversary of Tsinghua’s Institute for Carbon Neutrality meant a lot for both sides. Tsinghua has researched on carbon peaking, carbon neutrality, and energy topics for many years, an effort that can help harmonize humankind with the nature and build a green, “beautiful” China, he said. Wang also emphasized that higher education in general should advance the progress of human beings and the whole society, and he hoped the institute can help its students cultivate a sense of a common future for humankind. With the signing of this MOU, he expected that the two parties will jointly contribute to global sustainable development and human welfare through their cooperation in talent training, R&D, and international cooperation, and integrate their resources to accelerate research in key areas of carbon neutrality.

Zou said that EF China and Tsinghua have established a partnership over the past two decades for comprehensive cooperation in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and decarbonization strategies. Looking back, the two parties have worked together on basic research in the field of energy conservation and emission reductions, which has provided scientific evidence for the national low carbon development strategies in the medium and long term and played a positive role in promoting them as well, he said. In the future, according to Zou, EF China will continue to support the development of academic disciplines related to carbon neutrality at Tsinghua. He expected both parties to take the MOU as an opportunity to further leverage their strengths and enhance cooperation in research on topics such as climate change, energy security, air quality, carbon peaking and neutrality pathways, and key technologies, as well as in carbon academic training.

After the ceremony, experts on both sides, including Zeng Rong, He Kebin, Li Jie, EF China’s Senior Program Director for Transportation Gong Huiming, and EF China’s Senior Program Director for Low Carbon Cities Wang Zhigao, discussed what consist the key carbon neutrality technologies for China, how China’s climate change and carbon neutrality strategies should look like, how to achieve coordinated carbon reductions and environmental improvements, how to build carbon neutrality related academic disciplines and cultivate a talent pool, and what are the best cooperation, communication, and dissemination approaches to promote the implementation of China’s dual carbon goals.

Energy Foundation China has been working in China since 1999, and is dedicated to China’s sustainable energy development. Its vision is to achieve prosperity and a safe climate through sustainable energy. With a view to assisting China in coping with development, energy, environment, and climate challenges, EF China supports policy and standard research, capacity building, and international cooperation across seven fields: power, industry, transportation, cities, environmental management, low carbon economic growth, and strategic communications. In addition to the sector-by-sector work, it also contributes to crosscutting and integrated issues that have big impacts on China’s decarbonized development through six task forces: Long-Term Strategy for Decarbonization, Urbanization, Coal Transition, Electrification, Air Quality, International Cooperation. For the past 23 years, the foundation has grown with its Chinese partners and achieved remarkable results. Looking to the future, EF China believes that international cooperation will continue to play an important role in climate change, energy security, economic growth, disease prevention and control, and many other important global issues. It will continue to act as a bridge for international cooperation through its analysis and education support to Track I and Track II cooperation.