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Chinese Vice-Premier Stresses Environmental Protection in West
The fourth meeting of the second phase of China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) opened today in Beijing, focusing on issues of ecological protection in developing China's west region.
Chinese Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao, who is also the chairman of CCICED, said at today's opening ceremony that the development in the west should follow scientific and economic patterns.
"We should learn from the experiences and lessons both internally and externally so as to explore new ways of sustainable development that coordinates economic benefit, social benefit and ecological benefit," Wen told the Chinese and foreign participants of the meeting.
The relationship of development and protection of the environment should be handled correctly in developing the west, said Wen. The key tasks of development are to speed up the development in the west and devote efforts to reduce disparities between the east and the west. However, development should not be achieved at the sacrifice of the ecological environment.
Ecological construction and environmental protection should be regarded as fundamental tasks, said Wen.
On the one hand, various measures of ecological protection should be taken and the restoration of cultivated land into forest and grasslands should be carried out in a planned manner.
Ecological protection of natural forests and the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River and Yellow River should be strengthened so as to prevent soil erosion, Wen said.
On the other hand, environmental management of the newly constructed projects should be emphasized and pollution should be strictly controlled.
Wen stressed that China should follow the principle of "depending mainly on prevention and prevention more important than treatment" so as to avoid the old way of "treatment after pollution and recovery after damages."
Wen said that engineering project construction, such as transportation, works of water resources, tele-communications, power networks and infrastructure, will be emphasized so as to improve conditions for production and the ecological environment.
The structure of urban fuel will be renovated in connection with the transmission of natural gas and electricity in the west to the east so as to control air pollution.
The development of agriculture with characteristics should be strengthened and the advantages in rational use of resources should give full play to. The tourism industry will be further developed to the benefit of environmental protection.
Wen said that China should depend on reform and opening up as well as science and technology to strengthen environmental protection. Advanced practical technologies will be widely used to renovate the traditional industry, reduce energy and material consumption and reduce pollution sources.
According to market economic principles, economic instruments such as prices will be utilized so as to encourage enterprises and sectors in society to save water and energy and to control pollution, said Wen.
He added that the development in the west will also help improve living standards. Strenuous efforts will be made to keep the green mountains and clean water in the west and create a beautiful living environment for future generations.
The CCICED, which comprises 25 high-level Chinese environmental protection-related officials and economists and 30 overseas environmental protection experts or officials, was set up in 1992 by the Chinese government as an advisory body for national environmental protection and sustainable development decision-making.
Before today's conference, Wen Jiabao met with Leonard M. Good, President of the Canadian International Development Agency and other foreign delegates
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