3rd EU-CHINA WATER POLICY DIALOGUE JOINT PRESS RELEASE
On 2 February 2026, Ms Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy and Mr Li Guoying, China’s Minister of Water Resources co-chaired the 3rd EU-China Water Policy Dialogue in Brussels.
Commissioner Roswall and Minister Li discussed approaches to address increasing water stress nationally and globally via targeted policy measures. Commissioner Roswall introduced the EU Water Resilience Strategy, which aims at restoring and protecting the water cycle to provide clean and affordable water and sanitation for all, while building a water-smart economy. Minister Li highlighted that acting on President Xi Jinping's water governance philosophy of "Prioritizing Water Conservation, Balancing Spatial Distribution, Taking Systematic Approaches, and Promoting Government-Market Synergy", China has perfected its institutional and policy framework on water conservation that pivots around increasing agricultural water efficiency, reducing industrial wastewater discharge, and reducing municipal leakage loss, in an effort to support green and low-carbon transition by systemic, consistent and high-quality water conservation results.
Climate change directly affects water availability, quality and distribution, while water systems play a critical role in both climate mitigation and adaptation. Both sides agreed that acting on this nexus is essential for building resilience.
The dialogue continued with discussion and exchange on water efficiency and conservation. The EU presented the Water Efficiency First Principle, a cornerstone of the new EU Water Resilience Strategy, which encourages Member States to prioritise demand reduction and efficiency measures above increasing supply. The Chinese side presented its priorities on ecosystem protection and pursuing green development under the grand National River Strategy whereby the management of water disasters, water resources, the aquatic ecosystems and the environment is promoted systematically, establishing a new pattern of protection and governance which fosters man-water harmony.
Innovative approaches to resilience supported by the application of digital tools were also discussed. In the framework of the Water Resilience Strategy, the EU presented its plans for a Digitalisation Action Plan for the Water Sector and the Copernicus Water Thematic Hub, which will serve as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for water data. The Chinese side introduced the master plan of digital twin for water conservancy that aims to modernise water governance capabilities and develop new quality productive forces by digital and smart technologies, with proven practices in flood management and water resources management and allocation.
At the Dialogue, Commissioner Roswall and Minister Li restated the EU and China’s shared responsibility to uphold the multilateral system and to continue cooperation on global water challenges. They exchanged on the outcomes of the High-level Preparatory meeting for the UN 2026 Conference, which took place on 26-27 January in Dakar, Senegal. Both sides agreed to build on the successful co-chairing of the Interactive Dialogue on Water for Sustainable Development at the UN 2023 Water Conference and to explore opportunities for joint action. This includes potential side events, joint actions on shared interests such as water efficiency and digitalisation, as well as promoting actions to advance the achievement of SDG6 goals, strengthening global water governance and supporting climate change adaptation.
Commissioner Roswall said:
“Global water demand is projected to exceed available resources by 40 percent by 2030. This is one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Droughts and floods are becoming more frequent and intense, due to climate change. The good news is – solutions are available as our EU Water Resilience Strategy demonstrates. I am happy that together with China we share a common understanding of the water pressures and a joint resolve to that we must work together to act on them globally. The 2026 UN Water Conference will be a key milestone for all of us to show that we take the water challenges seriously and strengthen multilateral governance on water.”
Minister Li pointed out:
“President Xi Jinping put forward a series of major propositions on working to open a brighter next 50 years for China-EU relations. Consistent, results-oriented and deep cooperation on water governance between China and the EU is not only important for serving our people. It is in high demand in terms of global water governance and reaching water-related targets under SDGs. Further elevating China-EU water cooperation serves our common interests and represents a major responsibility on us created by the tide of the times."
The two sides agreed on tangible deliverables which include continued technical cooperation on climate resilient river basin management, water efficiency and conservation, resilience to floods and droughts, and water restoration. This cooperation is and will be implemented, closely with EU Member States, through the existing China EU Water Platform and the EU-China Cooperation on Water Project.
The EU-China Water Policy Dialogue was followed on 2 February by the 11th High Level Dialogue of the China-Europe Water Platform (CEWP), hosted by Commissioner Roswall and chaired by the Portuguese Ministry of Environment and Energy and Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, alongside a technical workshop taking place on the 3rd of February.
Background:
EU-China cooperation on water started in the mid-2000s and further evolved with the launch of the China Europe Water Platform (CEWP) at the 6th World Water Forum in 2012. The Platform, coordinated by two Secretariats hosted by EU Member States (EUMS) – on a rotating basis - and by the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources (MWR).
In 2017 the EU and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding stepping up cooperation on water with the establishment of the EU-China Water Policy Dialogue, as one of the Ministerial-level Dialogues under the EU-China Summit framework, allowing for a deeper exchange of information and providing policy steer to the work of the Platform.
The EU-China Cooperation on Water Project was launched by the European Commission in 2024 to further support the activities of China Europe Water Platform and the overall EU-China cooperation on water in areas such as climate resilient river basin management, the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus, circular water management, water resilience and water finance.