Pollution

China's High-Quality Development Toughened Up in Key 'Battles'

"We must proceed from the long-term interests of the Chinese nation to put restoring the ecological environment of the Yangtze River at a dominant position, making all-out efforts to protect it, and forbidding overdevelopment of the river," Xi Jinping said at a symposium held in April 2018. One of the key measures is implementing urban sewage treatment so that sewage is not dumped indiscriminately in the river.

Reducing Chemical Pollution

China is a large producer of chemical products, and how to properly dispose of chemical waste has been a serious challenge. In recent years, however, environmental protection has been given increased importance and tougher punishment has been put in place for actions that harm the environment. With the establishment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment earlier this year, stricter regulations will be enacted to curb pollution.

Energy

Blazing a New Trail

A majority of the countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative have low- and middle-income economies. One potential solution is that guidelines could be devised with the added goal of improving cost-competitiveness, where both labor and environmental standards could be built to accommodate different levels of development in different societies, thereby lowering the financial barriers to development among the countries along the routes. In this way, the AIIB can play a more effective role in the construction of energy infrastructure.

Building Xi-Trump Rapport

The China-U.S. Comprehensive Economic Dialogue agreed to address the trade imbalance by increasing U.S. exports to China instead of reducing imports from China. In June, beef shipments began arriving in China from the United States after a 13-year ban. The U.S. will also export liquefied natural gas to China, which, following the shale gas boom in the U.S. and China’s quest for green fuel to reduce its environmental pollution, will be a win-win deal.

The Smart Way of Growth

China's investment in improving the environment has doubled during the past five years and reached an unprecedented level, and its green energy sector has seen explosive growth. It has become a large natural gas consumer, with 300 million usersnearly equaling the U.S. population. In 2012, clean energy, which also includes hydro, wind, solar and nuclear power accounted for 14.5 percent of the total energy consumed in the country; this rose to nearly 20 percent in 2016.

Ecology

Stony Mountains Turn Gold

Grape plantations has effectively curbed rocky desertification in the county. Thanks to grape plantation in 2017, rocky desertification area in the county shrunk by 15.3 square km. So far, the Luocheng Mulao Autonomous County has planted more than 1,300 hectares of grapes in 20 demonstrative bases. The variety of grape planted, the downy grape, has strong roots that can prevent soil erosion and vines that can sprawl over bare stones.

New Development Era

Beijing has made significant progress in environmental protection, with its forest coverage rate increasing from 12.8 percent in 1980 to 43 percent in 2017, coming closer to becoming an environmentally friendly city suitable for living.

A New Voyage

As the second largest tropical island in China, Hainan has long been renowned for its picturesque landscape and clean environment. As part of its Free Trade Zone planning, Hainan will become a national pilot zone for environmental protection, an international consumption center and China's key gateway to the Pacific and Indian oceans