Speech given by Mr. Yin Gai, Secretary General of SEPA Science & Technology Division in Sino-German Workshop on Environmental Enterprises’ Competitiveness

主席女士、女士们先生们：

下午好！ 首先， 我代表国家环保总局对前来参加“中德环保企业竞争里研讨会”的中德两国来宾表示热烈的欢迎！

Madam President,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good afternoon! First of all, on behalf of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), I’d like to extend my warmest welcome to the Chinese and German guests attending the Sino-German Workshop on Environmental Enterprises’ Competitiveness.

今天，我们在这里召开这个研讨会，是希望通过研讨，探讨环保业如何不断提高竞争力，迅速发展，以适应全球环境保护快速发展的需要。 目前中国环保企业又2万余家，其中85％以上为中小企业，努力提高这些中小企业的竞争力，是推动中国环保产业发展的有效措施。

Today, we gather at this workshop to discuss how environmental enterprises can improve their competitiveness and develop rapidly so as to meet the requirements of the fast-growing global environment protection sector. At present, there are more than 20,000 environmental enterprises in China, more than 85% of them are small and medium sized enterprises. Therefore, striving to enhance the competitiveness of small and medium sized enterprises is an effective measure to push forward the development of China’s environmental sector.

企业竞争力是且也发展的核心，也是产业发展的基础。提高企业竞争力的主要途径是体制创新、技术创新和管理创新。

The competitiveness of an enterprise is the key foundation for the development of the enterprise. Competitiveness can be enhanced mainly through innovation in system, technology and management.

我国环保企业中的大多数企业目前仍处在从经验管理想科学管理过渡的阶段，还没有完全简历起现代企业制度，环保企业管理水平较低。环保企业要提高企业竞争力，必须大力推进体制创新，建立现代企业制度，形成于市场相适应的经营机制，管理机制和技术创新机制。必须加强企业管理，简历科学管理制度，进而巩固、改善和发展体制创新的成果，不断提升管理的层次和水平，只有将体制、技术和管理创新紧密结合起来，才能全面提高企业的整体素质。

The majority of China’s environmental enterprises are in transition from empirical management to scientific management; they have not established sound and fully-fledged corporation system; the management of environmental enterprises is relatively ineffective. To improve competitiveness, environmental enterprise must make great innovation in their system, set up modern corporation system and form business, managerial and technological innovation systems that meet the demand of market economy. They must also strengthen the management of enterprises, establish scientific management system so as to consolidate the achievement in system innovation and improve managerial skills. Only through close combination of innovation in system, technology and management can an enterprise improve its overall capacities.

提高企业竞争力的核心是提高企业的技术创新能力。我国的环保企业是环境技术创新的主体和需求的主体，近年来技术创新能力有所提高，但从技术创新的主体地位来要求，还有很大差距。主要表示在我国环保企业技术创新投入的总量和强度还处于较低水平，产出效益较低，品牌的知名度不高。环保产业发展的主导技术基本上依靠国外，缺乏支持创新的人才。市场经济归根结底是科技和人才的竞争。要想尽快提高企业竞争力，建立科研、开发、生产、市场紧密结合的机制，必须为科技人才、管理人才发挥作用创造一个良好的环境和提高发展条件，从整体上提高企业的科技创新能力，从而提高企业的竞争力。

The key to improve enterprise competitiveness is to enhance its ability to make technological innovation. China’s environmental enterprises are the leading actor in environmental technological innovation. Their capacity for technological innovation has been strengthened in recent years. However, they are far from meeting the expectations for the leading actor. China’s environmental enterprises’ investment in technological innovation remains at a relatively low level, with low economic returns. Also, there are very few products for which they can claim intellectual property rights. The majority of products produced by many enterprises are low-tech products with low brand-name recognition. They have to depend on foreign countries for technology to develop the environmental sector. They lack qualified personnel for innovation. Market economy is in essence the competition for science and capable people. In order to enhance competitiveness and set up a closely interrelated system for scientific research, development, production and market, enterprises must create a favorable environment for capable technological and management personnel to put their talents into full play.

当今国际市场竞争中，企业的经营理念已经逐渐发生变化，传统的成本、质量、供货起只是最基本的要求、而商业道德、社会责任已经成为企业提高竞争力的重要因素。企业要遵守市场经济的基本规范，具有较高的道德水准，企业的经营行为必须符合国家法律和国际规则的要求，企业在追求利润的同时，必须遵守国家法律、重视社会公德、坚持诚信经营，这是企业持续发展的根本。

Against the backdrop of global competition, enterprises’ business concepts are changing gradually. Cost, quality and delivery date are just some basic aspects of business, while business ethnic, social responsibility have become important factors for enhancing competitiveness. Enterprises must abide by basic social norms and exhibit high moral standards. The business operations of enterprises must conform to laws of the country and international norms. Enterprises must value social ethnic and uphold integrity and honesty, which is essential for the sustainable development of enterprises.

进入新世纪后，经济全球化、管理国际化和信息网络化已经成为时代的重要特征。企业要想在市场中站稳脚跟，应具有适度超前的意识，敏锐地看到经济全球化的加快发展，促进国于国之间的交流于合作，加快经济和社会发展，企业家必须立足于中国的实际，吸收和借鉴国际先进经营方式、管理方法，结合我们的实际进行学习、吸收和借鉴，并在产权制度、人才制度、管理制度、技术制度和文化制度方面进行创新，形成企业持续发展的动力和不断发展壮大的活力，不断提高经济增长的质量和水平。

The new century is characterized by economic globalization, the internationalization of management and Internet-based information. If enterprises want to gain a firm footing in the market, they must have vision and see the fast development of economic globalization, which promotes international exchanges and cooperation and boosts economic and social development. Entrepreneurs must proceed from China’s reality and draw from advanced international management experience. Innovation must be made in property rights system, personnel system, management system, technology system, and cultural system. In so doing, enterprises gain momentum for their sustainable development.

企业是竞争的主体，但在国际市场竞争中仅靠企业自身的竞争力是不够的，一个国家的体制和环境直接影响着企业的竞争力，企业间以及企业与研究机构间资源共享、相互合作的能力、知识流动的效率与方向直接影响到每一个企业的竞争能力。政府在协调相关主体的过程中有着不可替代的经济、政治作用。中国政府近年来高度重视提高企业的创新能力，在国家创新体系建设中将企业作为技术创新的主体，采取了一系列增强企业技术创新能力的措施，以企业为中心建设了一批国家工程研究中心，逐步建立起产学研技术合作的新机制。国家将重点培育一批具有国际竞争力的环保企业，带动中国环保产业的发展。

Enterprises cannot rely on themselves in international competition. A country’s system and environment have direct bearing on enterprises’ competitiveness. Sharing of resources among enterprises and institutions, co-operation, efficient flow of information also have direct impact on enterprises’ competitiveness. The government plays an irreplaceable economic and political role in co-coordinating the competition among enterprises. In recent years, the Chinese government has placed great emphasis on the creativity and innovation capacity of enterprises. The government has taken a series of measures to enhance the innovation capacity of enterprises and set up a number of state project research centers and a new system of production, learning and research for technological co-operation. The government will help establish a number of environmental enterprises with international competitiveness and push forward the development of China’s environmental sector.

我国环保企业正处于一个新的战略机遇期，同时面临着更为复杂和更加开放的市场环境。据有关统计数字，2003年我国污染治理等产品国际贸易额进口为80多亿美元，出口仅8亿多美元。我国加入世界贸易组织后，环保产品出口额逐年增加，但环保产品的进出口贸易逆差也逐年增加。我们的企业要在经济全球化、市场化、信息化的进程中得以生存和发展，提高适应市场经济体制下的竞争力，必须大力推进企业体制、技术和管理的改革和创新，全面提高现代化管理水平，努力开拓国际环保市场。

Our country’s environmental enterprises are facing strategic opportunities and a more complex and open market. According to statistics, the import volume of pollution control products amounted to 8 billion US dollars, but the export volume amounted to only 8 million US dollars in 2003. After China’s accession to the WTO, the export volume of environmental products increases year by year. However, the deficit of import and export of environmental products increases as well. China’s enterprises must seek survival and development in economic globalization, market competition and the Information Age. To improve competitiveness in the market economy, enterprises must carry out reforms and make innovation in enterprises’ system, technology and management and strive to tap the international environmental protection market.

中国的中小环保企业发展很不平衡，有些企业在本专业领域内已经成为骨干企业，在国内环保市场具有一定的影响力，有些企业还在靠模仿别人、简单生产勉强度日。德国从事环保产业的企业大多数也为中小企业，在提高企业竞争力方面，德国的环保企业有较好的经验，德国的环保产业走在世界前列，这于德国的环境技术有关，也与这些企业具有较强的市场竞争力有关。德国环保企业在提高竞争力有关。德国环保企业在提高竞争力，保持发展优势，不断扩大市场等方面的经验和做法，很值得中国的环保企业学习总结。

The development of small and medium sized environmental enterprises in China is very unbalanced. Some enterprises have become major players in their chosen field and have some influence in domestic environmental protection market. However, some enterprises still have to imitate others and are just getting by. Most of the German environmental enterprises are small and medium sized enterprises. German environmental enterprises have some good experience in enhancing competitiveness. The German environmental sector occupies a leading place in the world, which has something to do with the advanced environmental protection technology of Germany and the high competitiveness of German enterprises. There’s a lot we can learn from German environmental enterprises’ experience in enhancing competitiveness and expanding the market.

本次会议将在政府政策法规、企业融资渠道与效率、企业的信息资源、人力资源、企业的技术创新等方面进行研讨，从中构和德国企业的不同视角来寻找提高企业竞争力的有效手段。通过研讨，还可以加强两国在企业文化方面的了解，为两国企业今后合作大侠一定的基础。希望各位代表通过这次研讨会在学习国外先进管理经验，提高企业竞争力方面有所收获。

This workshop will cover government policies and regulations, enterprise financing mechanism and efficiency, information, human resources and technological innovation. We will seek effective ways to improve enterprises’ competitiveness from the perspective of Chinese and German enterprises. We can also learn more about the corporation cultures in each other's country and pave the way for future cooperation. I sincerely hope that members of the delegation can draw from advanced foreign management experience and find this workshop rewarding and informative.

感谢德国技术合作公司对举办这次会议给予的大力支持与合作。

谢谢大家！

In closing, I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to German Technical Cooperation for its support for this workshop.

Thank you all!