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China Lays out Key Environmental Protection Tasks in Coming Five Years
The focus of China's environmental work in the first five years of the 21 century will be to improve and strengthen enforcement of laws and regulations on environmental protection, said a leading environmental official Friday.
At the same time, China will continue to increase investment in environmental protection to account for over one percent of Gross Domestic Product£¨GDP£© in the coming five years, said Xie Zhenhua, director of the State Environmental Protection Administration £¨SEPA£©, at a press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council.
Efforts will be made to control environmental pollution, slow ecological deterioration and improve the environmental quality in key cities and regions, said Xie.
The control of the discharge of pollutants will continue in China in the coming five years, and non-polluting production will be promoted. "The discharge amount of major industrial pollutants will be decreased by 10 percent from 2000 to 2005," said Xie.
Over 100 major cities in China will be forced to reach water, air and noise quality standards. Beijing, capital of China, will further improve its environment while a number of cities and towns will increase economic and environmental development at the same time.
On the basis of a pollution control program in Liao, Huai and Hai rivers, Tai, Chao and Dianchi lakes, pollution prevention and control will be launched on the upper reaches of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers and on the mainstream of the Songhua River, according to Xie.
By 2005, over 70 percent of the cities included in China's acid rain and sulfur dioxide control regions will reach national standards on sulfur dioxide content, and the acid rain in these cities will be reduced. Oceanic pollution will also be controlled within related standards, said Xie.
In addition, China will strengthen nuclear safety and nuclear radiation monitoring and management, and try to improve the environment in rural areas and promote "green" agricultural production.
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