SCIO briefing on promoting high-quality development: Ministry of Ecology and Environment

Shou Xiaoli:

I see two reporters have their hands raised. Last two questions please.

Red Star News: 

The Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization adopted at the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed the implementation of region-specific environmental management systems featuring differentiated, targeted regulation. Could you please introduce the region-specific environmental management systems? And what are the further considerations? Thank you.

Huang Runqiu:

I would like to invite Ms. Guo to answer this question.

Guo Fang:

Thank you for your question. Mr. Huang has introduced the region-specific environmental management systems with nationwide coverage in his opening introduction. It is well known that our country has a vast territory, and there are significant differences in natural conditions, carrying capacities and functional positioning across different regions. This necessitates careful management of the relationship between development and protection, and ecological and environmental access management from the source. The region-specific environmental management systems refers to adopting differentiated management based on ecological protection red lines, environmental quality bottom lines, and resource utilization upper limits. They serve as the foundation for regional ecological environment management, establishing clear boundaries and bottom lines for development.

Since 2017, the MEE has launched pilot programs in four cities, including Lianyungang and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and expanded nationwide two years later. Currently, the region-specific environmental management systems have been basically established, with provincial and municipal control plans implemented. A total of 44,604 units have been classified into three categories: priority protection, key control and general control, each with a clear entry list specifying what is permissible. Based on this, information platforms for ecological environment management at provincial, municipal and district levels have completed basic functionalities and have been put into operation, supporting digital and intelligent application of policy implementation, environmental access, park management and law enforcement. It has achieved "one map overview, one-click assessment, and one-stop service" at the primary level. For instance, Xiamen was the first to open its region-specific environmental management application system to the public, allowing investment projects to check their compliance with conditions and standards, resulting in a reduction in low-efficiency investments and an improvement of business environments.

The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee clearly proposed implementing region-specific environmental management systems with differentiated, targeted regulation, providing guidance for the next phase of work. We'll focus on implementing reform tasks and achieving "Three Further Steps."

First, we'll further strengthen our work's foundation. This includes promoting the incorporation of region-specific management into the environmental code, increasing support for major national science and technology projects, and researching key technologies such as management unit division and precise control in regional management.

Second, we'll further enhance platform applications. We'll develop guidelines for information platform construction and interface specifications, integrating large amounts of environmental monitoring data. We'll also strengthen interconnection between national and provincial platforms, expand application scenarios and improve platform efficiency.

Third, we'll further create synergy within the system. This includes launching pilot projects that align territorial spatial planning and coordinate pollution reduction with carbon-cutting efforts. These projects will strengthen policy coherence. We'll also promote reforms linking region-specific ecological and environmental management with environmental impact assessments and pollutant discharge permits, enhancing source prevention. By acting early and implementing concrete measures, we aim to ensure high-level protection drives high-quality development from the very outset of environmental management.

Thank you.