Developed nations are moving outdated, polluting industries to developing countries, but pollution in developing countries will also affect developed nations, said Xu Kuangdi, president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), Tuesday.

Developed nations should help developing countries protect the environment by providing funds and advanced technologies because they all shared the same planet, Xu told a symposium on energy, environment and sustainable development.

Chen Jinhua, chairman of the Chinese Federation of Enterprises, and Joachim Broudre-Groeger, German Ambassador to China, were among those attending the meeting.

The symposium was jointly sponsored by the CAE and Germany-based international chemical giant BASF, as part of the ongoing celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany.

Prof. Ernst Ulrich von Weizaecker, a prestigious German environmental expert, also spoke at the meeting, praising China's efforts in environmental protection in recent decades.

The German scholar said, "China, after joining the WTO, is confronting consumers in the North (developed nations), hoping for still greater ecological and social improvements in the manufacturing chain."

(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2002)