|
Published by: ACCA21 April 1999
Changzhou was designated in August 1986 by the State Science and Technology Commission and the State Planning Commission as a pilot unit for comprehensive social development. In October 1992, it was elevated to the national experimental sustainable community. Sustainable development as a new strategy entails sustainable and steady social-economic development without compromising the ecological and environmental quality. This means first, economic growth by itself is not equal to development; development encompasses economic growth and social progress, including a balanced ecological environment. Economic growth entails both quantitative and qualitative growth. Where as quantitative growth is limited, qualitative growth has unlimited potential through science and technology. Second, self-sustaining utilization of natural resources is the physical foundation for balanced socio-economic development; and third, human survival depends on Mother Nature. This requires officials at all levels and in all departments to renew their knowledge base to keep pace with the latest developments in sustainable development theories and practices and integrate them into local planning. .In implementing sustainable development, priority must be given to the following areas: .Education. Changzhou has witnessed a steady decline in fertility rate and natural growth rate since the 1980s. Because of the high population density, however, the overall level of education of the population remains to be improved. In particular, vocational skills and innovational capabilities need to be developed greatly so as to meet the challenge posed by the advent of a knowledge economy. Therefore, priority must be given to education, particularly vocational education and contining education. .Switch of growth mode. Changzhou is a city short of resources, such as raw materials, water and land. Yet traditionally, its economic growth has been achieved through heavy input of resources. Resource- and labor-intensive industries dominate the economic landscape, resulting in excessive depletion of resources, decreased economic efficiency and deteriorating environmental pollution. .Environmental clean-up. One of the birthplaces of township enterprises -- often processing plants -- Changzhou has over the past two decades put emphasis on economic growth, with environmental pollution going from bad to worse. The situation is further aggravated by an increase of urban garbage that resulted from higher living standards .Public utilities. Although a number of public facilities have been built in recent years, including a vocational education center and a public transit control center, Changzhou still needs to develop infrastructures in the years to come. It has been realized that only through reform and institutional shake-up can sustainable development be achieved. In this regard, the government has a crucial role to play in coordinating and guiding reform measures. The first challenge facing governments at all levels is the drafting of the 10th five-year plan (2001-2005), which must give expression to the notion of sustainable development. Breakthroughs are needed to plan socio-economic development around market forces andsustainability. In other words, the drafting process has to take into account needs of today and tomorrow. The municipal government will continue to extend strong support to the piloting initiative as the goal now is not merely social development but rather a dynamic equilibrium between the economy, society, populatin, resources and environment. Efforts will also be stepped up in implementing projects already approved. More scientific planning and regular examinations will be conducted on these projects so that problems can be addressed on a timely basis. A list of key projects has been developed for international cooperation. Included in that list are an eco-tour and green agricultural development project in Liyang, a garbage disposal and recycling project in Changzhou and a number of clean-up projects for three lakes and one river. Foreign investment is welcome to participate in those projects. In his opening remarks, Premier Zhu said environment and development are two major issues of universal concern today. How to develop national economies while preserving the ecological environment has become a pressing task facing mankind. The deteriorating ecological environment has posed a serious threat to human development. Desertification, resource shortages, environmental pollution, climate changes, fresh water scarcities, ozone layer depletion, deforestation and diminishing species are but a few of the warnings Mother Nature has given mankind. Fortunately, nations around the world have realized that the "pollution first, clean-up later" model of economic growth is no longer viable; instead, humanity must forge a new path of sustainable development that balances economic growth against population increase, social progress, environmental protection and resource capabilities. Premier Zhu said China and the United States have great potentials in environmental cooperation. The United States boasts technology, capital and human resources, while China has a huge market for environmental products. He expressed hope that the two countries seize the opportunity and further bilateral cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. Following the opening ceremony, the conference broke into panel discussions on sustainable development science, environmental policy, energy policy, and business cooperation. Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Zhu Lilan and her American counterpart co-hosted the panel discussions on progress achieved since the first conference in areas such as disaster prevention, agricultural development and water resource management Among Chinese speakers at the conference were Liu Yanhua, Director General of Rural and Social Development, Ministry of Science and Technology; Chen Chuanhong, Deputy Director General of Rural and Social Development, as well as a number of other officials from the Department of the International Cooperation and ACCA21.
The seminar focused on information exchange and policies making related to water resource management. Vice Minister Hui noted that China is a country with a serious shortage of fresh water resources. The Chinese government adopts a two-thronged policy to resolve the problem: resource development and conservation of resources. Specific measures include: .Improve over all planning with a view to better protecting resources and preventing water pollution .Step up ecological construction to prevent soil erosion .Optimize distribution and utilization of water resources .Adjust water uses and apply water-saving technologies so as to raise the efficiency of water resources .Use economic means to promote water conservation .Channel water resources across different river systems The Vice Minister expressed readiness on the part of the Chinese government to expand cooperation with the United States in water conservation.
Maoji, designated a State-Level Experimental Sustainable Community in July 1994, has taken on a new outlook after five years of strenuous efforts. Five new streets have been built with a floor space of 150,000 square meters, complete with 20,000 square meters of grassland. More remarkable is that every house is equipped with tap water, electricity, road access, telephone line, high-frequency radio and cable TV. Today, Maoji is a flourishing new town covering an area of 1.5 square km and a population of 20,000 Along with impressive infrastructural development has been a steady decline in Maoji's population, thanks to the imple mentation of the family planning program. Public servants here are known for their honesty, integrity and self-discipline. They, for example, never eat at institutions affiliated with the township government. For two years in a row, not a single resident from the town has lodged a petition to superior government departments.
Yangxunqia, the national experimental sustainable community in Zhejiang, registered remarkable economic growth in 1998 thanks to the introduction of a series of reform measures. These include Reform of permanent residency system. With concerted efforts by the public security, labor, family planning and other departments, four villages and oneNeighborhood Committee processed papers for 2,946 permanent residents. Property rights reform. Eighty percent of the 25 business entities under the township government has switched from collective ownership to a stock-holding system. A combination of different accounting methods -- net account value, replacement cost and current market value -- were employed to liquidate and evaluate assets. All the auditors are certified by the authorities, and an asset management company was formed to overlook collectively owned property. Administrative reform. The township government streamlined offices and introduced competition into public services, resulting in greater efficiency and a more honest government. Urban construction reform. Investment channels have been diversified in a bid to boost infrastructural construction. In addition to government funding, enterprises and individuals now participate in urban construction. Preferential land-use policies have been adopted to allow small towns to retain portions of the rent above the benchmark price to speed up their development. Social security reform. The social security net was expanded to cover nearly 20,000 peasants (more than 93% of the total eligible population). The total amount of the fund topped 2 million RMB, enabling 12% of the insured peasants to receive monthly pension payments. The physically handicapped working in welfare factories are also insured for old-age security. In addition, the township government set a minimum standard of living; anyone living under that standard were eligible for allowances.
Guizhou Town, in Shunde, Guangdong, is the first town in China whose gross output value and tax revenue have topped 100 million RMB. It became a Pilot Area in 1993. Over the past few years, the town's GDP has been growing by 13.3% annually. In 1998, exports amounted to US$160 million, up 23% over the previous year; and the balance of residents' savings stood at 4.15 billion RMB, a 22.7% increase over the preceding year. The town has 21 enterprises whose sales volume has topped 100 million RMB. Two enterprises have been certified as "high- and new technology enterprises", bringing the total to 14. The Galanz Group, in particular, is designated by Guangdong Province as one of the top 100 enterprise groups to be supported. Galanz sold 3 million microwave ovens (worth 1.62 billion RMB) in 1998, up 47.9% over 1997. Despite an adverse international marketplace, Galanz exported 1 million microwave ovens, earning US$45 million. Today, tt is now the largest microwave oven manufacturer in China, taking up 70% of domestic market shares. Another leading company, Shunde Haier, produced 250,000 washing machines, realizing 200 million RMB of sales. Another noticeable trend in Guizhou is that more private enterprises are investing in technological renovation and capacity enlargement. In 1998, 18 privately-own businesses spent 180 million RMB upgrading their technology. Rongli Fine Chemicals, for example, spent 10 million renovating its plant and equipment. Now the entire production is automated and only six technicians are needed in the workshop. In other developments, the town has installed 31,000 telephones; water supply capacities have been expanded greatly; 15 million RMB was spent building Wenta Park and planting trees; a new garbage dump was built involving 200,000 RMB; new street lights were erected at a cost of 1.5 million RMB; and city buses were made available to local residents.
The Sixth Beijing International Exposition, co-sponsored by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and China International Exhibition Co., was held May 20-24, 1999, with 24 countries participating, including Korea, Turkey, Bulgaria, the United Arab Emirates and Romania A noticeable feature of this exposition was that a special section was devoted to sustainable development, showcasing progress made in local Agenda 21 implementation. Participating in the sustainable development show were nine state-level Pilot Areas: Xicheng District, Beijing; Huirou County, Beijing; Maoji Town, Fengtai County, Anhui; Hebei suburbs, Anhui; Mouping District, Yantai City, Shandong; Dafeng City, Jiangsu; Linzhou City, Henan; Mengzhuang Town, Huixian City, Henan; Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning. In addition, a number of other enterprises were also involved in staging the show. On display were areas as diverse as eco-agriculture, environmental industry, pollution control, resettlement, small-town construction, energy-saving, resource renewal, waste recycling, protection of bio-diversity, clean-production techniques and green food. The exhibition drew large crowds of visitors, including government officials, researchers, business people and journalists. The event received heavy media coverage. The provincial government of Anhui recently gave the greenlight for an Action Plan for Sustainable Development in Anhui, the first such plan approved by a provincial government in China. In July 1998, Anhui officials invited prominent experts to study the feasibility of the action plan. Subsequently, they consulted many government departments and finalized the plan. Governor Wang Taihua listed the action plan as one of his top priorities for 1999. Anhui has made substantial progress in sustainable development in recent years. Pilot programs at model projects such as Chizhou and Hefei are in smooth progress, and priority projects have been incorporated into socio-economic planning for policy support. For example, urban environmental protection was one of the priority areas for financing through bond issues in 1998; a US$140 million loan from the Asian Development Bank was used to clean up water pollution at Caohu lake; another US$100 million loan granted by the World Bank was used to clean up Huaihe River. In addition, a US$30 million international loan was utilized for urban waste water treatment. New progress was also made in international cooperation. Two technical-support projects funded by the Japanese Overseas Development Association are in smooth progress, and another Japanese-funded project, the Ma'anshan Iron & Steel Waste Gas Recycling Project - also broke ground. The Dutch have also been involved in two projects - a poverty-relief project in Huoshan and an Energy and Environmental Process Control project, the latter co-sponsored by the Center for Environmentally Sound Technology Transfer.
Experts recently reviewed and passed an Action Plan for Sustainable Development in Key Areas in Harbin, drafted by a leading group under the municipal government of Harbin The action plan lists the following seven areas as crucially important: population, utilization and management of renewable resources, environmental protection, construction of settlements and urban systems, industry, agriculture, and poverty elimination. Currently, the leading group is fine-tuning the action plan in line with suggestions raised by the experts. For comments and requiries: Local Agenda 21 Division The Administrative Centre for China’s Agenda 21 109 Wanquanhe Road, Haidian District Beijing 100089, P. R. China Tel (86-10 ): 82636201 or 82634400—2405 Fax : (86-10) 82636192 E-mail: Ren Yannan
|