Governance Dimension of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological …
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plan maintained the clean waters and green mountains of Fujian and left the most
valuable resources and most competitive advantages for the province to become the
first national experimental zone for developing ecological civilization.
5. Zhejiang: promoting ecological progress, building a green province
In 2002, Xi Jinping was transferred from Fujian to Zhejiang as secretary of the CPC
Zhejiang Provincial Committee. Zhejiang’s economy was already one of the best in
the country then, so how to resolve chronic difficulties and push economic and social
development to a new level was what was constantly on his mind. On December
18, Xi Jinping, not even in office for a month yet, presided over the 2nd plenary
(extended) session of the 11th CPC Zhejiang Committee, at which he proposed to
“build a ‘green Zhejiang’ at a faster pace with the construction of an ecological
province as an important carrier and entry point, and strive to coordinate population,
resources and environment.” In 2003, Zhejiang officially launched the ecological
province initiative, which Xi Jinping demanded be carried on year after year, term
after term, in the endeavor to succeed in making Zhejiang an ecological province with
economic prosperity, natural beauty and culturally advanced society. He published an
article titled “Civilization Prospers when Ecology Prospers—Promoting Ecological
Progress, Building a Green Zhejiang” on the 13th issue of Qiu Shi magazine that year,
in which he made the famous assertion that “civilization prospers when ecology prospers, civilization declines when ecology declines.” Xi regarded promoting ecological
progress and developing green Zhejiang as a massive systematic program concerning
the overall situation, and a program with popular support that will benefit generations
to come. At the 4th plenary (extended) session of the 11th CPC Zhejiang Committee
held in July, Xi Jinping made the significant decision and deployments to further exert
“advantages in eight aspects” and implement “measures on eight fronts,” including
further exerting Zhejiang’s ecological advantages and building an ecological and
green province. Since then, the “Double Eight Strategy” has become the roadmap
for Zhejiang’s comprehensive and deepened reform.
During his term in Zhejiang, Xi Jinping’s thinking of eco-civilization was deeper
and more multi-faceted. First, the theory of “lucid waters and lush mountains are
invaluable assets” was formed in this period. When he inspected Yucun Village
in Tianhuangping Town of Anji County on August 15, 2005, Xi said “ecological
resources are the most valuable resources, and lucid waters and lush mountains
are invaluable assets. We should never promote economic growth by sacrificing the
environment. We cannot have it both ways, so we must know what to give up and
what to adhere to, and pursue the development path of man-nature harmony.” Later
he elaborated multiple times on the relation between “mountains and waters” and
“invaluable assets,” recognizing their conflicts and dialectical unity. In practice, the
understanding of this relation went through three stages from excessive exploitation to protection and eventually to win–win development. Second, environmental
governance efforts were coordinated between urban and rural areas. Based on indepth inspections, Xi Jinping found that “indoor modernization, outdoor mess” and
“garbage and sewage everywhere” was still a common phenomenon in the countryside. Therefore, he personally directed the rural environmental governance program
225
plan maintained the clean waters and green mountains of Fujian and left the most
valuable resources and most competitive advantages for the province to become the
first national experimental zone for developing ecological civilization.
5. Zhejiang: promoting ecological progress, building a green province
In 2002, Xi Jinping was transferred from Fujian to Zhejiang as secretary of the CPC
Zhejiang Provincial Committee. Zhejiang’s economy was already one of the best in
the country then, so how to resolve chronic difficulties and push economic and social
development to a new level was what was constantly on his mind. On December
18, Xi Jinping, not even in office for a month yet, presided over the 2nd plenary
(extended) session of the 11th CPC Zhejiang Committee, at which he proposed to
“build a ‘green Zhejiang’ at a faster pace with the construction of an ecological
province as an important carrier and entry point, and strive to coordinate population,
resources and environment.” In 2003, Zhejiang officially launched the ecological
province initiative, which Xi Jinping demanded be carried on year after year, term
after term, in the endeavor to succeed in making Zhejiang an ecological province with
economic prosperity, natural beauty and culturally advanced society. He published an
article titled “Civilization Prospers when Ecology Prospers—Promoting Ecological
Progress, Building a Green Zhejiang” on the 13th issue of Qiu Shi magazine that year,
in which he made the famous assertion that “civilization prospers when ecology prospers, civilization declines when ecology declines.” Xi regarded promoting ecological
progress and developing green Zhejiang as a massive systematic program concerning
the overall situation, and a program with popular support that will benefit generations
to come. At the 4th plenary (extended) session of the 11th CPC Zhejiang Committee
held in July, Xi Jinping made the significant decision and deployments to further exert
“advantages in eight aspects” and implement “measures on eight fronts,” including
further exerting Zhejiang’s ecological advantages and building an ecological and
green province. Since then, the “Double Eight Strategy” has become the roadmap
for Zhejiang’s comprehensive and deepened reform.
During his term in Zhejiang, Xi Jinping’s thinking of eco-civilization was deeper
and more multi-faceted. First, the theory of “lucid waters and lush mountains are
invaluable assets” was formed in this period. When he inspected Yucun Village
in Tianhuangping Town of Anji County on August 15, 2005, Xi said “ecological
resources are the most valuable resources, and lucid waters and lush mountains
are invaluable assets. We should never promote economic growth by sacrificing the
environment. We cannot have it both ways, so we must know what to give up and
what to adhere to, and pursue the development path of man-nature harmony.” Later
he elaborated multiple times on the relation between “mountains and waters” and
“invaluable assets,” recognizing their conflicts and dialectical unity. In practice, the
understanding of this relation went through three stages from excessive exploitation to protection and eventually to win–win development. Second, environmental
governance efforts were coordinated between urban and rural areas. Based on indepth inspections, Xi Jinping found that “indoor modernization, outdoor mess” and
“garbage and sewage everywhere” was still a common phenomenon in the countryside. Therefore, he personally directed the rural environmental governance program