Chapter 4
China's Plans and Measures for Realisation of the Sustainable Development Strategy
Section 3 Concrete Measures
I. Continuing to Promote the Implementation of China's Agenda 21 at Local and Sectoral Levels4.4 In line with China's national conditions and practical experience, the Chinese Government is committed to take the following concrete measures to further promote the sustainable development strategy.
II. Enforcing Family Planning in order to Address the Population Problem in a Holistic Manner4.5 At present, the government offices at all levels have a preliminary understanding of the necessity to implement the sustainable development strategy and have carried out significant work. The next step will be to promote the implementation of sustainable development strategies at the local level. In those provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities with suitable conditions, the demonstrations of the implementation of China's Agenda 21 will be expanded. Active support will be given to the implementation of sustainable development action plans formulated by departments and local governments, and some medium- and small-sized townships and districts in big cities will be selected as the pilot zones for sustainable development so as to identify the correct methods for China's local sustainable development.
4.6 In vast rural areas, ecological agriculture with Chinese characteristics will be further promoted in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Ecological agriculture practices will be expanded on the basis of the current fifty pilot ecological agriculture counties. The implementation of China's Agenda 21 should be regarded as an important measure for transforming the traditional production pattern. It should also be combined with the construction of agricultural, forest, and water conservation infrastructure so as to adjust the agricultural structure, optimise the allocation of various production inputs, establish agricultural projects (with high yield, high quality, and high efficiency), and realise sustainable agricultural and rural development. Efforts will be made to accelerate the rejuvenation of agriculture through scientific and technological advancement, protect the agricultural ecosystems, and promote the sustainable utilisation of agricultural resources so as to guide the transition of agriculture onto the track of sustainable development.
4.7 Emphasis will be given to the adoption of cleaner production in industrial sectors, vigorous development of clean technologies, and implementation of total pollution load control. Based on the existing cleaner production demonstration projects, enterprises will be encouraged to adopt cleaner production technology. At present, the China Business Council for Sustainable Development (CBCSD) is being established. The mission of the CBCSD is to study and formulate relevant policies, to mobilise the participation of the industrial and business communities in sustainable development, to contribute to exchanges among enterprises, to share information, and to demonstrate cleaner production.
III. Carrying out Rehabilitation of the Natural Environment in Prioritised Regions4.8 Family planning will be linked with economic development, poverty alleviation, rational utilisation of resources, environmental protection, popularisation of education, health care for women and children, improvement of social security, improvement in human welfare, and upgrading of women's status. Publicity will be conducted to raise public awareness of the linkages between population, societal development, economic growth, and sustainable development. Favourable policies and measures will be formulated and various government departments will be co-ordinated so that the population problem can be addressed in a holistic manner.
4.9 Efforts will be made to increase the availability of technical advice and support for contraception and sterilisation, reproductive health care, and good bearing and upbringing by improving existing networks and increasing dedicated funding. Management and service for the migrant population will also be enhanced. Key studies should focus on improving the efficiency of contraception and sterilisation, improving the health of new-born babies, and developing policies relevant to the ageing population.
4.10 Great efforts will also be made to increase the advancement of science and technology across the whole nation. In order to achieve this, compulsory nine-year education will be popularised and tertiary education will focus on improving educational quality and efficiency and cultivating skilled personnel for TVEs and other rural enterprises. In addition, various forms of education at different levels, such as specialized technical and vocational education, will be widely developed so that newly recruited labourers from urban and rural areas can receive adequate training to improve their cultural knowledge, technical skills, and work ethic before obtaining new jobs.
IV. Continuing the Conservation and Comprehensive Utilisation of Natural Resources4.11 During the Ninth Five-Year Plan period (1996°"´2000), China will carry out environmental rehabilitation in such prioritised regions as the Huaihe River, Liaohe River, Haihe River, Dianchi Lake, Taihu Lake, Chaohu Lake, Alashan League of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the area at the conjunction of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia, etc. A series of projects in the fields of municipal wastewater treatment, air pollution control, solid waste management as well as industrial pollution control, will be executed to reinforce environmental pollution control.
4.12 Efforts will be continuously made to rehabilitate and restore the natural environment and accelerate construction of ecological engineering. Emphasis will be placed on soil erosion control along the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the middle reach of the Yellow River, and comprehensive rehabilitation of the Pearl River, Songhua River, Huaihe River, Haihe River, and Liaohe River. Emphasis will also be given to creation of ecological protection forests, anti-desertification projects, conservation of forests, fauna and flora resources, improvement of the prairie, and utilization and preservation of grassland.
V. Utilising Advanced Science and Technology for Promotion of Sustainable Development4.13 Social and economic development will be pursued in line with the principle of giving equal importance to development and efficient utilisation of resources. In various economic processes of production, construction, distribution, and consumption, attention should be given to conserving land, water, energy, raw materials, and grain. Efforts should be made to the greatest possible extent to lower the consumption of resources, substantially increase the efficiency of the resource utilisation, energy production, and raw material consumption, and reduce the pollution from production processes. Priority should be given to promoting the reuse and recycling of resources and application of clean energy technology, especially clean coal technology. In order to meet the total energy demands, China encourages the reuse of waste heat, waste steam, municipal solid waste, gangue, and other low heat-value fuels (such as coal-bed methane) to generate electric power and heat. In areas with coal of low sulfur-content, low heat-value fuels (such as gangue, peat, medium coal, and oil shale) will be utilised to establish on-site power stations. Highly -efficient and less-polluting coking technology should be disseminated. Various by-products should be reused and recycled, and obsolete coke production must be phased out to conserve coal resources. Programmes will be carried out to study, develop, introduce, and apply the advanced coal gasification technology and gradually achieve the clean utilisation of coal. Environmental management will be reinforced to reduce the SO2 and dust emissions in order to cope with atmospheric pollution.
VI. Building Capacity for Sustainable Development4.14 The role of science and technology, as the primary productivity force, should be fully explored in order to attain the production and consumption patterns that are compatible with natural resources, environment, and development. China's Agenda 21 and the "Scientific and Technological Action Plan for Social Development" will be implemented. The commercialisation of the results of scientific and technological studies will be actively promoted. During the Ninth Five-Year Plan period (1996-2000), emphasis is placed on the following three types of scientific and technological projects:
Development of environmentally sound technologies, such as technologies for cleaner production, clean energy, comprehensive reuse and recycling of resources, water pollution control, and SO2 emission control technology.
Demonstration projects for sustainable urban and community developments, including waste minimising community and industrial systems.
Studies on sustainable development theories, indicators, strategy, policy, environmental management frameworks for critical areas (the arid and semi-arid areas in northwestern China for example), global climate change, environmental protection industries, and resources reuse and recycling industries.
4.15 The legal system will be strengthened. The Chinese Government will amend and formulate the relevant laws and regulations on environmental protection and resources management in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, and intensify their enforcement. China will study, formulate, improve, and refine a series of management systems. This includes the incorporation of the sustainable development strategy into relevant decision-making processes and conducting sustainability assessments of policies and projects for social and economic development so as to ensure the smooth implementation of the sustainable development strategy and China's Agenda 21.
4.16 Public awareness of sustainable development will be promoted in order to attain conscious environmental protection, resources conservation, and changes in the patterns of unsustainable production and consumption. China will carry out various publicity, educational, and training programmes on sustainable development in the long term. It is also important to constantly promote public and social understanding, and encourage recognition of sustainable development strategies.
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