BEIJING: The year 2020 witnessed a series of remarkable moves in China’s history, including a 10-year fishing ban along the Yangtze River, a total ban on importing solid waste, and the conclusion of a three-year action plan on fighting against air pollution.
China has put ecological protection at the heart of its policy considerations and made notable achievements in pursuing green growth this year, even in the face of the great pressure of navigating the COVID-19 slump.
These efforts indicate an evolving landscape of environmental conservation and regulation in China, as the world’s second-largest economy explores a sustainable development path in which economic growth and environmental protection can move forward hand-in-hand.
With environmental issues emphasized in the tone-setting annual economic meeting in mid-December, as well as Chinese leadership’s proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, efforts on green economic growth are expected to secure an important position in China in 2021 and beyond.
In January, China started a 10-year fishing ban in key areas along the Yangtze River, a move that is widely regarded as a major step for the country in fighting the depletion of biological resources and the degrading of biodiversity in its “mother river.”
Starting from 2020, the ban will be observed in 332 conservation areas in the Yangtze River basin and will be expanded to all natural waterways of the river and its major tributaries from no later than Jan. 1, 2021.
Fishing will also be prohibited on the natural waterways of large lakes connected to the Yangtze, such as the Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, for 10 years starting from no later than Jan. 1, 2021.
The ban is estimated to affect more than 110,000 fishing boats and nearly 280,000 fishermen in 10 provincial-level regions along the river. The Chinese government has promised to provide social security services, financial support and vocational training for fishermen to help them find a new way of earning a living after bidding farewell to boats and nets.
China also passed a law on Saturday to strengthen its protection of the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River Protection law, China’s first legislation on a specific river basin, will take effect on March 1, 2021.
Once the world’s biggest recipient of overseas trash, China announced in November that it would institute a sweeping ban on all imports of solid waste starting on the first day of 2021, with the dumping, stacking and disposal of waste products from overseas on Chinese territory also banned.
China began importing solid waste as a source of raw materials in the 1980s, and for years it has been the world’s largest importer. With a growing public awareness of environmental protection and the country’s transition to greener economic growth, China started phasing out imports of solid waste in 2017. –PNP
