China Launches Guideline for Eco-Friendly Development

To address China’s goals of achieving significant improvement on the country’s environmental concerns, the State Council published a 35-clause guideline on May 5, Tuesday.

Despite China's staggering economic success, the country is now facing problems on severe pollution and limited resources.

Over the past few years, China has received increasing pressure and criticism from different states regarding its lack of policies toward environmental protection. In the published guideline, the State Council highlighted this problem and emphasized the importance of balance between the nation's environment and its social and economic growth.

One way to curtail the degradation of China's environment, the guideline suggests, is to raise public awareness about the current state of the country's natural resources.

Addressing the issue of air quality is one of the guideline's targets. In 2014, eight out of 74 major Chinese cities passed the national standard for clean air. It is a challenge the Chinese government is determined to overcome, since China plans to reduce its carbon emissions by 40 to 45 percent.

Another solution the guideline proposes is to increase the use of non-fossil fuels in energy consumption by 15 percent.

Another environmental issue the country faces is severe water pollution. According to a report published by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) in June 2014, 60 percent of the country's ground water was rated as "bad" or "very bad." A detailed action plan released by the State Council aims to improve the condition of the water in China's major river valleys by 2020.

It is expected that the State Council will release detailed regulations soon.

Wang Yi, head of the Institute of Policy and Management under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "The key for the next step is whether we can seriously implement the guideline."

Last year, the Chinese government called for the imposition of stricter regulations on polluting industries.