China and the European Union on Friday inaugurated a new cooperative project on clean energy, in a further effort to jointly tackle energy efficiency and climate change.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Zhang Guobao, head of China's National Energy Administration, witnessed the inauguration of the Europe-China Clean Energy Center based in Tsinghua University.

The center will act as a platform to provide support for both Chinese and European energy sector key players, and its objective is to promote increased use of clean energy.

"The launching of the center, another flagship of our cooperation, is a major step in our common efforts to shape a more sustainable, environmental friendly and efficient energy sector," said Barroso.

"The European Union can not achieve its energy and climate change objectives alone. We want to make partnership with friends around the world...There are now very important prospects for developing many concrete projects within China and the European Union," Barroso said.

Zhang, also vice minister of China's National Development and Reform Commission, said China and the EU shared similar targets on clean energy and enjoy bright future for energy cooperation.

"As of the end of 2009, China had introduced about 30,000 technological projects from the EU, among which wind, photovoltaic and nuclear power projects account for a rather big proportion," Zhang said.

Zhang said despite the fact that China did not lag behind on clean energy development, it needed more efforts to restructure its energy sector and develop clean coal technology as coal accounted for 70 percent of China's primary energy sources.

Closer ties

Energy cooperation is just one of issues Barroso is seeking to address during his first visit to China after he took the second term as European Commission president.

Barroso is visiting on the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the EU and China.

"China and Europe, with great history, can make an even greater future," said Barroso in a speech in Tsinghua university.

During a press conference Friday, before his departure to Shanghai for the opening ceremony of the World Expo, Barroso also said the two sides had agreed to strengthen efforts in coping with global issues, and work together to realize "sound, stable and sustainable" global economic growth.

He described his Thursday talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao as "fruitful and open", saying they had a "candid conversation" and discussed bilateral ties, global issues such as energy, climate change, security, finance and monetary affairs.

He praised Wen's Thursday meeting with EU entrepreneurs, in which Wen pledged to offer fair conditions for Chinese and EU companies, to facilitate dialogue between foreign companies and the Chinese government, and encouraged foreign investors to seek business opportunities in China's economic reform.

Barroso will attend the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo, the first expo the EU will participate in outside Europe.