Chinese-American Olympics Planning Group Meets at Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne's Transportation Technology R&D Center recently hosted approximately 90 Chinese and American scientists and policy makers working toward the goal of creating a cleaner Beijing. The December gathering was the first American meeting of the Chinese-American Joint Working Group on Olympic Cooperation to develop sustainable technologies for the City of Beijing and the 2008 Olympic Games. Two previous meetings had been held in China.

“We have already cleaned emissions from factories and cars and are planting more trees for a cleaner environment,” said Vice Mayor of Beijing, Fan Baoyuan.

The Joint Work Group was created about two years ago by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, and Beijing Municipal Government. As part of its bid to host the 2008 Summer Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing is committed to improving its environmental quality to create green Olympic Games.

The Joint Work Group is charged to promote clean, efficient energy technologies in Beijing and in China. “Helping create a cleaner China helps the entire world,” explained Argonne’s Transportation Technology R&D Center Director Larry Johnson, who is a member of the Joint Work Group.

Argonne hosted the American meeting of the Joint Work Group. DOE leads the American team with representatives from the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and State; the Environmental Protection Agency; and others. The Chinese delegation included representatives from several agencies from Beijing Municipal Government, China Ministry of Science and Technologies, Tsinghua University, and China Automotive Technology and Research Center. Representatives from the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago also attended the meeting. Visitors toured Argonne’s world-class transportation research laboratories, including fuel cell facilities and vehicle and engine testing laboratories, as well as the Advanced Photon Source, this hemisphere’s brightest source of X-rays for research.

During the meeting, Chinese officials presented a progress report on the Olympics and gave a preliminary plan for energy, environment, and transportation. A representative from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics shared lessons learned. Attendees also rode in advanced vehicles including a GM Allison hybrid bus, Daimler-Chrysler GEM neighborhood electric cars and a Ford Escape Hybrid.

Working groups developed plans to work together in the following areas:

• Natural Gas Technology and Infrastructure Development,
• Fuel Cells, Hydrogen and Electric Vehicles,
• Green Building Design and Construction,
• Alternative Transportation Technologies,
• Air Quality Management,
• Water Quality Management,
• Clean Coal, and
• The Beijing-Chicago Friendship Cities Initiative.

During the visit, Argonne officials also formalized plans to work with China to develop liquefied natural gas power systems for sanitation trucks.

Members of the Joint Chinese-American Joint Working Group for Sustainable Technologies for the City of Beijing and the 2008 Olympic Games delegation gather for a photo during their recent meeting at Argonne National Laboratory.