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Speakers:

Mr. Wang Guanghua, minister of natural resources and national chief inspector of natural resources

Mr. Wang Hong, vice minister of natural resources and head of the State Oceanic Administration 

Mr. Zhuang Shaoqin, vice minister of natural resources

Mr. Liu Guohong, vice minister of natural resources

Mr. Guan Zhiou, head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) and the National Park Administration 

Chairperson:

Mr. Chen Wenjun, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

July 11, 2023

Chen Wenjun:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). This is the 20th briefing in the series "Embarking on the New Journey — A Government Perspective." Today, we have invited Mr. Wang Guanghua, minister of natural resources, to brief you on building the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, and to take your questions. Also joining us today are Mr. Wang Hong, vice minister of natural resources and head of the State Oceanic Administration ; Mr. Zhuang Shaoqin, vice minister of natural resources; Mr. Liu Guohong, vice minister of natural resources; and Mr. Guan Zhiou, head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) and the National Park Administration. 

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Wang for his introduction. 

Wang Guanghua:

Thank you, Mr. Chen. Ladies and gentlemen, friends, good morning. I am very glad to meet and talk with you again. First, on behalf of the Ministry of Natural Resources ((MNR)) and the NFGA, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for your long-term care and support for the work of natural resources as well as the forestry and grassland.

The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) made strategic deployments on building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts . It also stipulated that the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets must be upheld and acted on, and that maintaining harmony between humanity and nature must be remembered when planning developmen t. We have adhered to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, earnestly implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Eco-Civilization, and fully performed the major tasks deployed by the 20th CPC National Congress. We have always coordinated development with security, oriented ourselves toward strictly observing the bottom line of resource security, optimizing the territorial space layout, promoting green and low-carbon development, and safeguarding the rights and interests of resources and assets, and actively promoted the building of the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature.

First, the bottom line of resource security has been strictly observed. We have earnestly implemented the deployment of ensuring the security of food, energy and resources, as well as industrial and supply chains , and promoted to better safeguard China's new pattern of development with the new security architecture. To ensure food security, we have strictly regulated the offsetting of farmland used for construction, offset farmland used for other agricultural purposes in a stable and orderly manner, frozen the farmland offsetting quota in areas where farmland has been illegally occupied, and worked to maintain the total area of the farmland. We have taken tough measures and constantly conducted inspections and law enforcement for farmland protection, and publicly investigated and dealt with major, typical cases involving illegal violations. In the first half of the year, the number of illegal cases related to land dropped by 64% year on year, with the area involved falling by 80.5% year on year. The total area of farmland nationally has registered net increases for two years in a row. To ensure energy security, we have comprehensively launched a new round of a strategic campaign in mineral exploration, improved the management system for mineral exploration and exploitation, and stimulated the vitality of the mining market. In the first half of the year, national investment in the exploration of solid minerals as well as petroleum and natural gas rose year on year by 17.2% and 7.5%, respectively, and 242 entities nationwide were newly granted exploration rights, a year-on-year increase of 25.4%. Breakthroughs have also been made in mineral exploration at the Laizhou gold mine in Shandong province and the Zhaotong phosphorite mine in Yunnan province. To ensure ecological security, China has comprehensively finished creating ecological conservation red lines for the first time, with the actual area drawn on the landmass and sea areas totaling around 3.19 million square kilometers. We have strengthened the management of the ecological conservation red lines, stringently regulated the approval for occupation, and rigorously observed the natural ecological security boundary. A spatial layout plan for China's national parks has been issued to build the world's largest national park system. Large-scale greening programs have been rolled out in a well-planned manner, and an area of around 100 million mu (6.7 million hectares) will be greened annually for the next few years. The overall plan for the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program has been revised and the sixth implementation plan for the program has been formulated, reflecting the consistent efforts being made to promote the construction of a green ecological shelter in northern China. The natural regeneration of forests, grasslands and wetlands has been advanced, and the forest-chief system has been comprehensively established, with nearly 1.2 million forest chiefs appointed at various levels. The list of terrestrial wild animals of important ecological, scientific and social value has been newly updated and publicized, greatly expanding the scope of protection for wild animals. The building of the national botanical gardens system has been actively promoted. To ensure the security of surveying and mapping of geographic information data, we have actively promoted the development of 3D Real Scene China . This year, we released guidelines for the standard system construction for intelligent-vehicle basic maps , to promote the development of self-driving and other new business models under the premise of ensuring the security of geographic information. In addition, we have worked with local regions to enhance the comprehensive prevention and control of geological disasters, marine disasters and risks, forest and grassland fires, and pests , going all out to protect people's lives and property.

Second, we have made efforts to improve the layout of land and space. We have seriously implemented the arrangement to foster a regional economic layout and a territorial space system which leverages complementary strengths of each area and promotes high-quality development. We have advanced the reform of the "integration of various types of plans into a single master plan." A territorial space planning system has taken shape. In the second half of last year, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council released China's first territorial spatial planning outline, which approves red lines for farmland and permanent basic farmland, for ecological conservation, and for delineating urban development boundaries. Overall spatial planning has been accomplished at the provincial, municipal, and county levels, all of which are being reviewed for approval. We have rolled out measures to help local governments make their own detailed plans to provide a legal basis for regulating the use of all territorial space, approving the planning for urban and rural development projects, as well as those activities regarding project development, renovation, protection, and restoration. Moreover, we have reported to the State Council for approval for the overall spatial planning for the demonstration zone for integrated ecological and green development in the Yangtze River Delta. We have also worked hard on the spatial planning for coastal belts and offshore waters, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Chengdu-Chongqing region, to support the implementation of major regional strategies. 

Third, we have promoted green and low-carbon development. Taking high-quality development as our priority, we have stepped up efforts to promote economic and social development in a green and low-carbon manner and worked hard to enhance diversity, stability, and sustainability in our ecosystems. We issued a series of policies to improve the use of land and sea areas in the second half of last year and the first half of this year. These policies included streamlining approval procedures and improving approval efficiency to ensure a good momentum of economic development. In the first half of this year, the MNR approved 37,000 mu of land for major projects, an increase of 138.3% year on year. As much as 2.144 million mu of agricultural land have been approved for other uses or requisitioned nationwide, in line with the level of the same period over the past five years. A total of 1.271 million mu of sea areas have been approved for projects, up 24.6% year on year. We have ensured that 4.724 million mu of state-owned land has been used for construction, an increase of 14.2% year on year. We have ramped up efforts to implement a comprehensive conservation strategy, launching land use quotas for new industrial projects and driving the green development of the mining industry. Moreover, we have carried out major projects for protecting and restoring key ecosystems, implementing 51 projects to holistically conserve and restore the mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts. Among all these projects, seven were launched this year. We have taken solid steps to advance the Blue Bay environmental improvement initiative, the coastal belts protection and restoration project, and a special action for mangrove conservation and restoration to restore coastline and coastal wetlands. The area of mangroves in China has reached 438,000 mu, an increase of around 108,000 mu compared with the beginning of the century. We have ramped up efforts to advance the construction of three major platforms for deep-sea research, including the national gene database for deep-sea creatures. We have also worked hard to improve the national Antarctic and Arctic observing and monitoring network and accelerated the construction of the fifth research station in Antarctica. We have implemented the Green Expedition Initiative in Antarctica. We are currently preparing for the 40th Antarctic scientific expedition and the 13th scientific expedition to the Arctic Ocean. Furthermore, we have made full use of the natural gas hydrate drill ship and been working hard to set up a science and technology center for ocean drilling and planning for relevant international science programs.

Fourth, we have protected the rights and interests of resource assets. Centered on safeguarding the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of people, we have accelerated reform in the natural resource assets sector and strengthened the rule of law. We have coordinated the institutional reform of the natural resource property rights system and continuously promoted pilot schemes and agency mechanisms for delegating the ownership of natural resource assets under public ownership. We have deepened the reform of the rural land system and promoted a pilot program allowing rural collective land for construction to enter the land market. We have also established a unified survey, monitoring system, and ownership registration system for natural resources. This includes transferring contractual land rights and land management rights onto a unified registration system for immovable property. We have also launched new measures such as the synchronous delivery of housing or land with its property ownership certificate, and "transfer with mortgage." We've also advanced the formulation and revision of relevant laws and regulations, such as the Mineral Resources Law and the National Parks Law, strengthened the administration of the rule of law, strictly supervised law enforcement, and maintained order in natural resource management.

For the next step, centering on fostering the new development paradigm and promoting high-quality development, the MNR and the NFGA will plug away at our work, forge ahead, and make more outstanding contributions to building a modern socialist country in all respects with concrete efforts.

That's all for my opening remarks. Next, my colleagues and I are ready to answer your questions. Thank you.