Foreword III
xix
The Communiqué on the Environment in China was published for the first time in
1990, and China began to release official data on environmental quality in 2007.
In the new era, the Chinese government encourages citizens to embrace simple,
moderate, green, healthy and low-carbon ways of life and say no to waste, builds an
environmental governance system involving the whole society, makes environmentalism part of the mainstream culture, and advocates for respect and a caring for the
natural world.
II. Improve the Environment for the Common Good of the People
Over the past 70 years, the CPC has persisted in protecting the ecological environment
as one of the ways to improve people’s life quality. Especially since the 18th National
Congress of the Communist Party of China, Comrade Xi Jinping has put forward a
series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies concerning the development
of ecological civilization which formed Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, laying a theoretical foundation for historical changes in China’s environment
protection policy.
The CPC regards protecting the ecological environment as one of its responsibilities and missions. The ecological environment is a major political issue related to
the party’s mission and purpose, as well as a major social issue related to people’s
livelihood. The most fundamental reason for historic changes in China’s environmental protection policy during the past 70 years, especially after the Eighteenth
National Congress of the CPC, lies in the continuous strengthening of the party’s
leadership in the development of ecological civilization. The past experience tells
us that to build an ecological civilization and protect the ecological environment, it
is necessary for the CPC to strengthen party members’ consciousness to maintain
political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in
alignment, strengthen the authority and centralized leadership of the CPC Central
Committee, and shoulder the political responsibility for the development of ecological civilization. The CPC should faithfully implement the decisions of the CPC
Central Committee, assume the same responsibilities as the government for environment protection, and strive to build a politically strong, capable, hardworking,
persistent, responsible, and dedicated environment protection team.
Environmental issues are now considered top priority for the Chinese people.
Over the past 70 years, the Chinese government has shifted the focus of its work from
poverty reduction to environment protection. Environmental quality is becoming an
increasingly important indicator of happiness for the Chinese people. In response to
the collective rise in consciousness about the health of the environment, the Chinese
government should follow the people-centered development path and make ecological and environmental issues a top priority. Air, water and soil pollution and rural
environmental problems have greatly affected the Chinese people’s life quality. We
must start by solving prominent ecological and environmental problems and create
a good environment for people to live and work in.
The Chinese government places equal emphasis on development, people’s livelihood, and environment protection. Experience in the past 70 years tells us that
xix
The Communiqué on the Environment in China was published for the first time in
1990, and China began to release official data on environmental quality in 2007.
In the new era, the Chinese government encourages citizens to embrace simple,
moderate, green, healthy and low-carbon ways of life and say no to waste, builds an
environmental governance system involving the whole society, makes environmentalism part of the mainstream culture, and advocates for respect and a caring for the
natural world.
II. Improve the Environment for the Common Good of the People
Over the past 70 years, the CPC has persisted in protecting the ecological environment
as one of the ways to improve people’s life quality. Especially since the 18th National
Congress of the Communist Party of China, Comrade Xi Jinping has put forward a
series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies concerning the development
of ecological civilization which formed Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, laying a theoretical foundation for historical changes in China’s environment
protection policy.
The CPC regards protecting the ecological environment as one of its responsibilities and missions. The ecological environment is a major political issue related to
the party’s mission and purpose, as well as a major social issue related to people’s
livelihood. The most fundamental reason for historic changes in China’s environmental protection policy during the past 70 years, especially after the Eighteenth
National Congress of the CPC, lies in the continuous strengthening of the party’s
leadership in the development of ecological civilization. The past experience tells
us that to build an ecological civilization and protect the ecological environment, it
is necessary for the CPC to strengthen party members’ consciousness to maintain
political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in
alignment, strengthen the authority and centralized leadership of the CPC Central
Committee, and shoulder the political responsibility for the development of ecological civilization. The CPC should faithfully implement the decisions of the CPC
Central Committee, assume the same responsibilities as the government for environment protection, and strive to build a politically strong, capable, hardworking,
persistent, responsible, and dedicated environment protection team.
Environmental issues are now considered top priority for the Chinese people.
Over the past 70 years, the Chinese government has shifted the focus of its work from
poverty reduction to environment protection. Environmental quality is becoming an
increasingly important indicator of happiness for the Chinese people. In response to
the collective rise in consciousness about the health of the environment, the Chinese
government should follow the people-centered development path and make ecological and environmental issues a top priority. Air, water and soil pollution and rural
environmental problems have greatly affected the Chinese people’s life quality. We
must start by solving prominent ecological and environmental problems and create
a good environment for people to live and work in.
The Chinese government places equal emphasis on development, people’s livelihood, and environment protection. Experience in the past 70 years tells us that