The China International Cement Conference opened yesterday at the Hotel Nikko New Century Hotel in the Chinese capital Beijing, with sustainable development and over capacity remaining the pivotal theme for this 16th annual event.

Cementtech 2015 opens in Beijing, China, with sustainability a key focus for this year's proceedings

Conference proceedings were officially opened by Qiao Longde, conference chairman and president of the China Cement Association and China Building Materials Federation, who welcomed international delegates to the three-day event.

Ma Rong, Associate Counsel, Resources Conservation and

Environmental Protection Department,

NDRC, discusses turning 'waste into a treasure'

An address by Ma Rong, Associate Counsel, Resources Conservation and Environmental Protection Department, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), highlighted the importance of embracing available energy opportunities, stating the domestic industry should ‘turn waste into a treasure to benefit the circular economy.’

Following on, Philippe Fonta, director of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI), thanked its five Chinese members for the environmental improvement made so far. He also underlined that 2015 is an important year for China and the world as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change‎ COP21 will be held in Paris, France, in December.

Presentations continue under the themes of climate change, environmental and energy efficiency and low-carbon practice, among others. 

Running parallel to the conference is the Cementtech 2015 exhibition at the China International Exhibition Center (CIEC) – a vast international arena tailored to promoting the development of efficient and environmentally-friendly cement production.