China has a goal of improving the energy efficiency of new building significantly by 2015 and is working on new energy efficiency standards, therefore China's Ministry of Housing and Rural-Urban seeks inspiration outside China.

Based on the decade long Danish experience with strict energy requirements and the development of a green industry that specializes in energy-efficient low-carbon technologies for the building sector and district heating Denmark is able to be a source of inspiration for China’s urban development.

During the visit the delegation from China's Ministry of Housing and Rural-Urban Development will focus on the Danish building regulations and certification schemes for energy-efficient buildings. In addition, focus will be on energy efficient retrofitting and financing models for retrofit projects as well as district heating solutions.

The average Chinese energy consumption in buildings is 2-3 times higher than in Denmark. In addition, thanks to Chinas’ rapid economic development urbanization in China is booming. About 250 million people are expected to migrate to China's cities before 2030 and 2 billion m² of new buildings are expected to be built each year to accommodate the influx of new inhabitant in the coming decades.

During the week the Chinese delegation will also visit a number of Danish buildings and Danish companies in the building and district heating sector. With China's new green ambitions there is a growing interest in Danish technologies and thus new opportunities for Danish companies.

The delegation will pay visits to Cowi, Grundfos, and Danfoss among others, all of which have substantial operations in China.

Last year the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese Ministry of Housing and Rural-Urban Development in with the purpose of strengthening cooperation in energy-efficient and sustainable building and low-carbon urban development and the visit is an important part of the Sino-Danish cooperation on energy.