China to promote development of over 100 'beautiful bay' construction projects this year

Staff members of Xiamen Municipal Marine Environmental Sanitation Management operate a remote sensing satellite system to detect environmental quality in Xiamen sea area, in East China's Fujian province, on January 25, 2024. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced on Sunday that this year, it will promote development of over 100 "beautiful bay" construction projects provinces. With tailored plans for each bay, this project is going to enhance marine pollution prevention and control, ecological protection and restoration, as well as the improvement of the shore environment in coastal areas. Eventually, it is aimed at building "beautiful bays" characterized by "clean water and beaches, bustling marine life, and peaceful coexistence between man and the sea."

The latest monitoring results show that the water quality of 102 bays nationwide has been significantly improved compared to 2022, which has gained increasing recognition among the public.

Since 2021, China has initiated the construction of "beautiful bays," establishing three key indicators including bay environment, biology and ecology, as well as offshore water quality. It has encouraged coastal provinces to build "beautiful bays" by strengthening multi-channel financial support, improving diverse governance mechanism, and applying for assistance from experts.

According to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, so far, significant improvements can be seen in 20 bays, such as the southeast sea area of Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province, Dapeng Bay of Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province, and Lingshan Bay of Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, which are all listed as examples of "beautiful bays" nationwide.

"Xiamen, as a bay city, is increasing its international influence and has emerged as a leader in high-quality development among global bay cities," Lu Lihua, deputy director of the Ecological Restoration Department of China's Ministry of Natural Resources told the Global Times during an expert symposium focusing on Xiamen's marine ecological protection and restoration held in January. Lu noted that Xiamen's efforts in marine ecological protection and restoration are now being recognized worldwide, contributing to the construction of a global marine ecological civilization.

Currently, the promotion of the protection and construction of "beautiful bay" has been included in China's Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and Vision 2035.

On February 19, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) held a press conference where, for the first time, 10 high-quality typical cases of deliberating deputies' suggestions were presented. Among them a suggestion on strengthening the protection and construction of "beautiful bays", submitted by NPC deputies after extensive research and public opinion collection.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment, along with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Natural Resources, have actively translated the suggestion into specific work measures. They are guiding local authorities in China's coastal areas to formulate implementation plans according to the basic requirements and reference indicators for the construction plans, and promoting the establishment of a diversified co-governance mechanism involving local governments, enterprises, social organizations, and the public.

It is expected that by 2027, around 40 percent of the 283 bays nationwide will be transformed into beautiful bays featuring clean water and beaches, bustling marine life, and peaceful coexistence between man and the sea.

Zheng Kexin also contributed to this story