Message Received

“Heavy presence of top leaders，” “strong voices” and “beautiful China” were among the phrases that dominated the conversation at the Eighth National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection held in Beijing from May 18 to 19. Chinese President Xi Jinping and all other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee except for Li Zhanshu， who was away on a foreign visit， attended the meeting， a signal of the great attention the CPC leadership pays to environmental protection.

According to industry insiders， the timing was also significant considering the meeting was held in the wake of the establishment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and launch of a new round of deeper reforms of Party and state institutions. What messages did it convey？

Building a Beautiful China

The “Beautiful China” envisioned by President Xi is a country with crystal rivers and lush mountains capable of evoking deep emotions from residents. Recent years have brought a change in Chinese peoples attitude towards the environment. Yesterday， it was： “We want both development and good environment，” and today it has become： “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets .” The message is that China is making the historic decision to seek sustainable development.

China has drawn a timetable and roadmap to build a beautiful China： Attain basic goals by 2023 through fundamentally improving the quality of the eco-environment and ultimately build a beautiful country by mid-century in which people live in harmony with nature， and Chinas system and capacity for governance are fully modernized.

President Xi reiterated at the May meeting that building an ecological civilization is of fundamental importance for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. Environmental protection is a key political issue concerning the Partys mission and purpose and also a major social issue concerning the peoples livelihood， he stressed.

Xi noted that Chinas eco-environment has shown steady improvement as a whole， but setbacks are still possible. The cause of building an ecological civilization has reached a critical stage in which it must press on despite multiple pressures and grim challenges. The home stretch has been reached， demanding more quality ecological goods to meet the peoples ever-growing needs for a beautiful environment. China now stands capable of addressing major ecological and environmental issues.

“The Chinese economy has shifted from a high-growth phase to a high-quality development phase in which we must press on under pressure and against all difficulties，” declared Chang Jiwen， vice director-general of the Research Institute for Resources and Environment Policies， Development Research Center of the State Council. He suggested that in the new era China adopt higher environmental standards， strictly enforce environmental laws and strengthen environmental supervision， make environmental information fully transparent and ensure that public participation is more orderly and effective. Environmental laws must be observed across all of society.

Pooling National Strength

China held a total of seven national conferences on environmental protection between 1973 and 2011. The 2018 meeting exceeds them all in terms of size， influence and participation by state leaders.

“The year 2018 marks a new starting point for reform of Chinas environmental protection system，” Chang announced. “The establishment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment ushers in unified administration of environmental issues which were formerly in the hands of multiple authorities.” The May meeting resulted in plans to intensify environmental protection and pollution prevention and treatment and called on all Party members and citizens to pool their resources to elevate Chinas ecological civilization to a new level.

The meeting declared that China will focus on the mission of building a beautiful China， to which end Xi stressed that prominent environmental issues must be solved. The meeting outlined several priority areas including addressing the top three sources of pollutants （industry， coal and automobiles）， the battle to defend blue skies， prevention and treatment of water pollution， drinking water security， cleaning polluted bodies of water in cities， prevention and treatment of soil pollution with heightened control and rehabilitation measures for certain regions， industries and specific pollutants. The rural environment was also highlighted at the meeting.

The meeting vowed to enhance law enforcement and supervision to ensure violating environmental law is costly. “Solving prominent environmental problems is now set as a priority in our work to improve peoples livelihood，” explained Ye Hongchun， head of the Environmental Supervision Group of Hainan Province. “This raises new demands for enforcement of these laws.” Next， China will further enhance the capabilities of environmental law enforcement， which is expected to have personnel who are hardworking， capable and well-trained， to fulfill the tougher requirements of environmental law enforcement in the new era.

The presidents opinion that mountains， rivers， forests， farmlands， lakes， and grasslands are a life community is based on the laws of the eco-system and can serve as the guidance for relevant authorities to simplify their decision-making process and make administrative measures more efficient. Through this thinking， environmental issues are not viewed solely in the context of pollution or specialized study. Instead， all aspects of them ranging from the causes， symptoms and solutions to results assessment and their relations with other issues including the economy， politics and rule of law are considered in a holistic， multi-dimensional approach.

Win Tin， a journalist from Myanmar who has long covered China， applauded Xis prescient vision of development. He said that environmental issues concern the survival of everyone on the planet and that Chinas efforts to fight air pollution should be learned by other countries.

“As an environmental protection worker at the primary level， I feel a strong sense of duty upon hearing the presidents remarks at the meeting，” said Yan Zhengqing at the municipal environmental authority of Zhenjiang， Jiangsu Province. “I grew up by the Yangtze River， where as a poem describes： ‘Roads meander through green mountains， and boats slide across blue rivers. We must strive to protect the ecological treasures bestowed on us by nature and pass them down to future generations.”