Facing the growing energy demand and the requirement of low-carbon development. China is making great efforts to fulfill the international cooperation on renewable energy aimed at protecting the security of energy and economy. Whereas, energy problems in various countries have become increasingly prominent, and the lack of a multilateral cooperation mechanism has become the key obstacle to the cooperation. This paper analyzes current situation and existing problems of international cooperation on renewable energy in China, and then puts forward the establishment of three cooperation mechanisms: the regional mechanism, the developing countries mechanism and the developing-developed countries mechanism, followed by a summary and analysis of the participants. The principles and steps of mechanisms making and the cooperation institution for mechanism operation will be discussed as well as making some policy recommendations on the cooperation methods. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.