China, EU team up to clean up the environment

China and the European Union are teaming up to improve the environment, Janez Potocnik, European commissioner responsible for environmental policy, told China Daily on Thursday.

The EU can help China by sharing experience and becoming a technology partner, Potocnik said.

He invited dozens of European companies to attend a roundtable discussion on green business in China on Thursday. Five cooperation contracts were signed between European and Chinese companies.

Potocnik said the Chinese government holds an open attitude toward such cooperation.

He will talk with Zhou Shengxian, minister of environmental protection, on Friday morning about international cooperation and air pollution.

"The quality of our lives is not only about economic growth, it is also about the water we drink and how we protect other species," he said, adding that environmental protection is not an obstacle for economic development.

China has increased efforts to curb pollution, especially air pollution.

Smoggy days have become more frequent in Beijing with PM 2.5 density on Thursday reaching up to 182 micrograms per cubic meter. The national standard for health is 75 micrograms per cubic meter.