The State Council 
Information Office published on Monday, June 5, 2006, a white paper 
entitled Environmental Protection in China (1996-2005). The document, composed 
of 10 chapters, gives a systematic introduction to the unremitting efforts made 
by China in environmental protection over the past ten years. The full text of 
the white paper follows:
Environmental Protection in China 
(1996-2005) 
Foreword 
I. Environmental Protection Legislation and System 
II. 
Prevention and Control of Industrial Pollution 
III. Pollution Control in Key 
Regions 
IV. Protection of the Urban Environment 
V. Protection of the 
Rural Environment 
VI. Ecological Protection and Construction
VII. 
Economic Policy and Investment Concerning the Environment
VIII. Environmental 
Impact Assessment
IX. Environmental Science and Technology, Industry and 
Public Participation
X. International Cooperation in Environmental 
Protection
Conclusion
Foreword
China is the most populous developing 
country in the world. Since the late 1970s, China's economy has developed 
rapidly and continuously. During the process, many environmental problems that 
have haunted developed countries in different phases of their 100-year-long 
industrialization have occurred in China all at the same time. The conflict 
between environment and development is becoming ever more prominent. Relative 
shortage of resources, a fragile ecological environment and insufficient 
environmental capacity are becoming critical problems hindering China's 
development. 
The Chinese government attaches great importance to 
environmental protection. It believes that environmental protection will have a 
direct impact on the overall situation of China's modernization drive and its 
long-term development, and considers environmental protection an undertaking 
that will not only benefit the Chinese people of today but also their children 
and grandchildren. Years ago, the Chinese government established environmental 
protection as a basic national policy and sustainable development as an 
important strategy, and has adhered to the road of a new type of 
industrialization. While promoting economic growth, it has adopted a whole array 
of measures to strengthen environmental protection. Especially in recent years, 
the Chinese government, with the scientific outlook on development as the 
guiding principle of environmental protection, has adhered to focusing on 
preventive measures, comprehensive control and overall progress with 
breakthroughs at some key points, and worked hard to solve conspicuous 
environmental problems threatening people's health. At the same time, it has 
continued its efforts for institutional innovation, relied on scientific and 
technological advances, strengthened the legal system of environmental 
protection, and brought into full play the initiative of people of all walks of 
life. Thanks to these efforts, although the amount of resource consumption and 
pollutants is increasing greatly, the trend toward aggravated environmental 
pollution and ecological destruction is slowing down; especially, environmental 
pollution control in some river valleys has seen some positive results, the 
environmental quality of some cities and regions has improved, the amount of 
pollutant emission of industrial products has declined, and the people's 
awareness of the importance of environmental protection has enhanced.
As 
World Environment Day nears, in order to let people in other countries have a 
better understanding about the situation of environmental protection in China, 
we would like to give a systematic introduction to the unremitting efforts made 
by China in environmental protection over the past ten years. 
I. 
Environmental Protection Legislation and System
The Constitution of the People's Republic of China (PRC) stipulates, "The 
State protects and improves the environment in which people live and the 
ecological environment. It prevents and controls pollution and other public 
hazards." Since the PRC was founded in 1949, the National People's Congress 
(NPC) and its Standing Committee have formulated nine laws on environmental 
protection and 15 laws on the protection of natural resources. Since 1996, the 
State has formulated or revised laws on environmental protection, such as those 
on prevention and control of water pollution, marine environment protection, 
prevention and control of air pollution, prevention and control of noise 
pollution, prevention and control of solid waste pollution, evaluation of 
environmental impact, and prevention and control of radioactive pollution, as 
well as laws closely related to environmental protection, such as those on 
water, clean production, renewable energy, agriculture, grassland and animal 
husbandry. The State Council has formulated or revised over 50 administrative 
regulations, such as the Regulations on Environmental Protection Management of 
Construction Projects, Rules for the Implementation of the Law on the Prevention 
and Control of Water Pollution, Regulations on the Safety Management of 
Dangerous Chemicals, Regulations on the Management of Collection and Use of 
Waste Discharge Fees, Measures on the Management of Dangerous Waste Operation 
Licenses, Regulations on the Protection of Wild Plants, and Regulations on the 
Safety Management of Agricultural Genetically-modified Organisms. It has 
promulgated documents with similar power to laws and regulations, such as the 
Decision on Implementing the Idea of Taking the Scientific Outlook on 
Development and Strengthening Environmental Protection, Opinions for Quickening 
the Development of a Cyclical Economy, and Circular on the Recent Work of 
Effectively Building a Resource-efficient Society. Relevant departments of the 
State Council, local people's congresses and local people's governments have, 
within the limit of their powers, formulated and promulgated over 660 central 
and local rules and regulations in order to implement the national laws and 
administrative regulations on environmental protection.
China has 
established a system of environmental protection standards at both the national 
and local levels. National-level environmental protection standards include 
environmental quality standards, pollutant discharge (control) standards, and 
standards for environmental samples. Local environmental protection standards 
include environmental quality and pollutant discharge standards. By the end of 
2005, the State had promulgated over 800 national environmental protection 
standards. The municipalities of Beijing and Shanghai, and the provinces of 
Shandong and Henan had promulgated over 30 local environmental protection 
standards.
China has constantly strengthened checks on the enforcement of 
environmental legislation, and improved administrative law enforcement. In 
recent years, the State has conducted checks on the enforcement of laws on 
environmental protection, and the prevention and control of air pollution, water 
pollution and solid waste pollution, so as to push forward pollution control in 
key areas. China's criminal law has special provisions on destruction of 
environmental resources. The State has promulgated the Interim Regulations on 
the Punishment of Violations of Environmental Protection Laws or Disciplines, 
and put in place a responsibility system of administrative law enforcement in 
the area of environmental protection. For three years in a row, the State has 
launched special environmental protection campaigns to rectify enterprises that 
have discharged pollutants in violation of the law and to protect people's 
health. It has dealt with over 75,000 environmental law violation cases, and had 
16,000 enterprises closed down for having discharged pollutants in violation of 
the law. More than 10,000 warnings have been issued to environment polluters, 
obliging them to remedy the problems under government supervision. The State has 
also conducted special checks on the enforcement of laws regarding mining areas 
eco-environmental protection and maritime environmental protection, and has 
dealt with a number of law violations. 
China has implemented an 
environmental management system, whereby governments at all levels are 
responsible for the environmental quality of the areas within their 
jurisdiction, the competent administrative departments in charge of 
environmental protection have the power of overall supervision and management, 
while other relevant departments exercise such supervision and management 
functions according to the provisions of the law. In 1998 the Chinese government 
changed the name of the State Environmental Protection Bureau to the State 
Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), and elevated it to the 
ministerial level. Thus, SEPA became an organization directly under the State 
Council to be responsible for exercising overall supervision and management of 
China's environmental protection work. The State has set up a national 
inter-ministry joint conference system for environmental protection and 
established representative offices for regional environmental supervision, in an 
effort to strengthen coordination and cooperation between departments and 
regions. The governments of all the provinces (autonomous regions and 
municipalities directly under the Central Government), cities and counties have 
set up organs responsible for addressing and coordinating environmental 
protection issues. There are now 3,226 environmental protection administration 
departments at different levels all over China, with 167,000 people engaging in 
environmental administration, monitoring, scientific research, publicity and 
education. There are 3,854 environmental supervision and environmental law 
enforcement organs with more than 50,000 staff members. Environmental protection 
organs are also found in some government departments for comprehensive affairs 
or resource administration departments, as well as in most large and 
medium-sized enterprises, responsible for their own environmental protection 
work. More than 300,000 people are employed by these organs.