Furthering Reform in Ecological Conservation with a Focus on Building a Beautiful China

At its third plenary session held in 2024, the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) established building a Beautiful China and promoting harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature as overall objectives in the agenda for furthering comprehensive reform. On this basis, it set out systematic plans for major tasks and measures to drive ecological conservation reform. This is a clear signal that the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core regards ecological conservation as an issue of great importance and a strategic planning priority. It also underscores the important role of ecological conservation in the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and China’s national governance framework.

I. A key element in furthering comprehensive reform

Comprehensive reform serves as both the fundamental driving force for Chinese modernization and a powerful instrument for advancing ecological conservation. Regarding ecological conservation as a fundamental strategy vital to the Chinese nation’s sustainable development, the CPC has driven forward theoretical, practical, and institutional innovations and taken coordinated steps to enhance the top-level design and institutional frameworks in this domain. In doing so, it has basically put in place an environmental law framework and ecological conservation system with Chinese characteristics, facilitated major reform breakthroughs in environmental management systems, and established genuine binding constraints for environmental protection thanks to institutional innovations and reforms, which include the introduction of central environmental protection inspections. As a result, China has markedly enhanced its system and capacity for environmental governance and secured internationally recognized achievements in ecological conservation. These historic, transformative, and comprehensive changes have paved the way for greater strides in carrying out the Beautiful China Initiative (BCI) and have become a defining element of the historic, revolutionary, and ground-breaking achievements in comprehensive reform in the new era.

A mangrove forest in Beilun Estuary National Nature Reserve, Fangchenggang City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, August 24, 2024. In recent years, Fangchenggang has realized an all-around improvement in the quality of the mangrove ecosystem in the Beilun reserve, thanks to the development of a well-defined framework that integrates the management, conservation, and study of mangrove forests. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER LU BOAN

Carrying out the BCI is a key objective in building a modern socialist country and an important element of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. At present, however, carrying out this initiative poses a formidable task, as China is in a critical period for ecological conservation defined by multilayered pressures and daunting challenges. The structural, fundamental, and trending pressures on our environmental protection efforts have not yet eased, and there is insufficient endogenous momentum for achieving a green transformation in economic and social development. We must deepen ecological conservation reform in a bid to keep making progress. This is essential for improving the ecological conservation system and enhancing China’s capacity for environmental governance; for implementing the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets and supporting high-quality development through high-standard environmental protection; and for delivering a fundamental improvement in the environment and ensuring that the benefits of building a Beautiful China are enjoyed by all our people fairly. It is also essential for ensuring that China participates fully in global environmental governance and plays its part in building a cleaner and more beautiful world.

II. Firmly grasping the fundamental principles

The six guiding principles for furthering comprehensive reform, set forth at the 20th CPC Central Committee’s third plenary session, represent a major achievement of the CPC in deepening its understanding of the laws governing reform. Furthermore, they are also important guidelines for furthering reform in ecological conservation.

The lush and thriving landscape of a coal mine reclamation area operated by the Zhunneng Group, a subsidiary of CHN Energy Investment Group, in Jungar Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, September 19, 2024. Jungar Banner has actively advanced ecological restoration in local mining areas through a holistic model that focuses on planting forests on reclaimed mining slopes, seeding grass on the terraces of old open-pit mines, restoring entire mountains and gullies, carrying out coordinated reclamation on neighboring mining areas, and promoting the integrated development of new industries. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER LI ZHIPENG

Upholding the CPC’s overall leadership and ensuring the fulfillment of political responsibilities for ecological conservation

The CPC’s leadership is the defining feature of Chinese socialism and constitutes the greatest strength of this system. Its leadership is also the fundamental guarantee for furthering comprehensive reform to advance Chinese modernization. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China has made tremendous achievements in ecological conservation. We owe these achievements to President Xi’s leadership, and to the sound guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially as it relates to ecological conservation. On the new journey in the new era, we must resolutely shoulder our political responsibility for carrying out the BCI, tackle ecological conservation reform with a high degree of political commitment, and guarantee that the CPC’s leadership is exercised throughout all aspects and the entire process of reform.

Following a people-centered approach and enhancing people’s ecological wellbeing

The people-centered approach defines the fundamental stance and values of comprehensive reform. Since 2012, reform in ecological conservation has been guided by prominent environmental issues related to people’s daily lives. With a sustained focus on the battle against pollution, we have brought about striking improvements in the quality of the environment by addressing problems of major public concern affecting people’s wellbeing. This has led to a notable heightening in people’s sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security. On the new journey in the new era, we must ensure that reforms in ecological conservation benefit the people and advance their interests. Actively responding to the public’s new expectations for a high-quality ecological environment, we must focus on continuous, comprehensive, and fundamental environmental improvements and strive to create a positive atmosphere in which everyone participates in and shares the benefits of the BCI.

Remaining committed to upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground to promote steady progress in environmental protection over the long term

The notion of upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground is an important framework for thinking about governance by the CPC in the new era. Since 2012, our Party has used sound theories to guide reform in ecological conservation, ensuring it always advances in the right direction. At the same time, it has also carried out genuine and practical reforms targeting key areas and prominent issues. For example, it has introduced and effectively enforced the central environmental protection inspection system and exercised vertical management for the monitoring, supervision, and enforcement activities of environmental and ecological agencies at the sub-provincial level. Such moves have helped generate a continuous stream of momentum and vitality for reform and innovation. On the new journey in the new era, no matter what type of reforms we pursue or what stage they reach, we must always firmly follow Xi Jinping thought on ecological conservation, keep advancing in step with the times, adapt to practical developments, and make sure that all essential and feasible reforms are carried out in full. Environmental protection work must be planned and advanced from a higher vantage point, with a broader perspective, and with stronger resolve.

Focusing on the main task of institution building to continue improving the institutional framework for ecological conservation

Institutions are of fundamental, overarching, and lasting importance to the cause of our Party and our country with major implications for stability. Since 2012, the CPC has pursued a comprehensive, systematic, and multi-tiered approach in order to gradually establish a series of basic systems such as the property rights system for natural resources, the system for the development and protection of territorial space, the environmental governance system, a market system for environmental governance and ecological conservation, and a performance evaluation and accountability system for ecological conservation. As a result, we have systematically reshaped our institutional framework for ecological conservation. On the new journey in the new era, we must regard institution building as the top priority in ecological conservation reform, making ongoing efforts to develop and improve relevant institutions based on the practical implementation of the BCI.

Exercising law-based governance to bolster the legal guarantees for the BCI

Reform must be advanced under the rule of law, and the rule of law must be strengthened through reform. Since 2012, China has entered a key period for law-based ecological conservation, featuring the most intensive legislative push, strictest level of regulatory enforcement, and most significant achievements in implementing legal institutions in its history. Ecological conservation has been enshrined in both our Party Constitution and national Constitution, while over 30 environmental laws and regulations have been either enacted or amended. These efforts have effectively ensured the deepening of reform in ecological conservation and supported key initiatives such as the battle against pollution. On the new journey in the new era, we must deepen reform to advance law-based ecological conservation, using legal instruments and the rule of law to guarantee the implementation of the BCI.

Applying systems thinking to modernize environmental governance

Systems thinking is both an intrinsic requirement for furthering comprehensive reform and an important approach for understanding and carrying out the work of reform. Since 2012, the CPC has, with a focus on the areas of thinking, law, systems, organization, and work style, made an all-out push to integrate ecological conservation into all aspects and the entire process of economic, political, cultural, and social development. It has coordinated efforts to cut emissions, reduce pollution, go green, and promote growth while making a concerted push to keep our skies blue, waters clear, and lands clean. In doing so, it has continued to enhance the systematic, holistic, and coordinated nature of ecological conservation endeavors. On the new journey in the new era, we must become even more systems-based to ensure that reform in ecological conservation is efficiently aligned with reforms across all sectors and works in synergy with them. We must practice systematic, holistic, and source-oriented management, ensure coordination between local and comprehensive initiatives, address both symptoms and root causes, and pay attention to both current and long-term priorities to keep improving the effectiveness of ecological governance.

Staff members at a People’s Bank of China branch in Chongqing analyze data monitored through a green financial services system known as the Yangtze River Green Finance Connect, August 14, 2024. Chongqing is advancing the green and low-carbon transformation of its industrial structure and the green development of local supply chains by steadily building its capacity for green finance and creating new sustainable financial products. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER HUANG WEI

III. Fully implementing all key reform tasks in ecological conservation

Based on the overall objective of furthering comprehensive reform, the 20th CPC Central Committee set out at its third plenary session specific plans for advancing reform in ecological conservation with a focus on building a Beautiful China. These plans include improvements to the basic systems for ecological conservation, environmental governance, and mechanisms for green and low-carbon development.

Establishing a responsibility system for the BCI

To carry out the BCI, we must uphold and strengthen the CPC’s overall leadership and refine the working mechanism under which the central authorities coordinate overall planning, provincial-level authorities assume overall responsibility, and prefecture- and county-level authorities ensure implementation. Central environmental protection inspections will be further advanced. To ensure they continue to serve as a powerful tool, we will formulate regulations on environmental protection inspection and improve the long-term mechanism for routine inspections, in order to reinforce political responsibility for the BCI. A sound evaluation system with rational criteria will be established to assess the progress in the BCI. We will push forward with the development of Beautiful China pilot zones in a bid to boost practical and institutional innovations that are replicable and scalable. Action plans will be researched and formulated for specific areas, such as the development of beautiful cities and villages, and solid progress will be made in improving our rivers, lakes, and bays. Through these efforts, we will make faster headway in creating implementation frameworks and mechanisms for the BCI.

Improving the basic systems for ecological conservation

We will implement region-specific environmental management systems featuring category-based, targeted regulation along with environmental access lists in order to prevent environmental problems at source. To quickly establish a modern environmental monitoring system, we will beef up our environmental monitoring and assessment institutions, improve the integrated network covering the skies, space, land, and sea, and promote a shift to digital and intelligent monitoring technologies. We will create an environmental protection responsibility system for local Party and government leaders that achieves comprehensive coverage and seamless interconnection, ensures alignment of powers and responsibilities, and provides for clear rewards and punishments. We will improve the coordination mechanism for ensuring national ecological security, enhancing our capacity for research, assessment, monitoring, early warning, and emergency response in this regard. We will also push ahead with codifying environmental laws and coordinate the formulation and revision of laws, regulations, and standards in areas such as environmental protection and climate change response.

Modernizing the environmental governance system

We will develop the responsibility, oversight, and market systems as well as the laws, regulations, and policies for environmental governance. We will refine the institutions and mechanisms for conducting targeted, well-conceived, and law-based pollution control, and institute higher standards in the drive to keep our skies blue, waters clear, and lands clean. All this will enable us to make the leap from quantitative to qualitative environmental improvements. We will implement an oversight system for stationary pollution sources centered on emissions permits and promote comprehensive, coordinated, and full-lifecycle management of these sources through a single-permit system for all emissions. We will introduce systems for the coordinated treatment of new pollutants and management of environmental risks and enact regulations on managing environmental risks from toxic and hazardous chemicals. We will take a coordinated approach to reducing the discharge of various pollutants by conducting prevention and control at the source, process-integrated management, and end-of-pipe treatment. With a stronger focus on entire ecosystems and river basins, we will promote comprehensive protection, systematic restoration, and integrated management of major river basins, including the Yangtze and Yellow rivers. The reform to advance the law-based disclosure of environmental information will continue in order to improve the overall quality of disclosed information and ensure that it is put to better use. We will establish an environmental credibility oversight system along with a mechanism for restoring credibility. Credibility oversight will be carried out in a multi-tiered and categorized way. We will comprehensively enhance our regulatory capacity for nuclear safety by putting in place a modern regulatory system commensurate with China’s nuclear development. We will promote compensation for environmental damage through coordinated steps and improve the environmental health risk assessment system. We will improve the dynamic adjustment mechanism for the environmental law enforcement whitelist to keep enhancing the effectiveness of environmental oversight and enforcement.

Improving regulation of ecosystem protection and restoration efforts

Fully leveraging the functions and roles of ecology and environment departments, we will bolster overall coordination and administrative oversight and enhance unified external oversight over the owners, developers, and regulators of natural resources, while also regulating and constraining various behaviors relating to natural resource development and utilization. We will comprehensively push forward with ecological status assessments and evaluations of conservation and restoration outcomes, advance the Green Shield Initiative to strengthen supervision over important ecological spaces, and establish a mechanism for investigating and dealing with damage in important ecological spaces not under the protection of conservation redlines. The coordination mechanism for biodiversity protection will be enhanced, large-scale biodiversity protection projects will be carried out, and improvements will be made to the environmental safety assessment and regulatory system for biotechnology. We will explore new avenues for transforming natural resources into economic wealth, refining the mechanisms for realizing the market value of ecosystem goods and services and compensating ecological protection, so as to ensure that those who participate in and contribute to environmental protection truly benefit from their efforts.

Improving mechanisms for green and low-carbon development

We will actively yet prudently move toward reaching peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality and gradually transition from controlling the total amount and intensity of energy consumption to controlling the total amount and intensity of carbon emissions. A “1+N” policy framework for promoting new quality productive forces in the area of ecological conservation will be put in place to promote collaborative innovation toward reducing pollution and carbon emissions across multiple fields and levels and cultivate eco-friendly industries. We will implement environmental economic policies and standards to support green and low-carbon development, vigorously advance green finance, and refine the green taxation system, including the environmental protection tax. We will deepen reform of science and technology systems in the area of ecological conservation to build our self-reliance and strength in green and low-carbon science and technology. Improvements will be made to the system for market-based allocation of resources and environmental factors, and the cap-and-trade system for emissions will be advanced. We will further develop the national carbon market, expand the national carbon emissions trading market to cover more sectors, and improve the national voluntary greenhouse gas emissions reduction market. We will put in place a more granular carbon emissions statistics and accounting system with better traceability, move faster in building a carbon footprint management system, and improve the systems and mechanisms for greenhouse gas inventory compilation. We will boost the climate adaptation system to ensure the alignment of powers and responsibilities, promote greater coordination and efficiency, and improve the pilot programs for developing climate-adaptive cities. China will actively participate in formulating international rules on climate change and related fields and keep working to improve its influence and say in global environmental governance.

Improving the implementation mechanisms for reform tasks

We will set the tasks, timelines, and priorities for environmental reforms in a well-conceived way, clearly defining specific reform measures and the entities responsible for their implementation. We will improve the mechanisms for coordination and supervision to ensure pragmatic, resolute, and effective steps are taken to transform our reform blueprint into reality.

(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 21, 2024)