4
Z. Xie
1 Over the Past 40 Years, Socioeconomic Progress Has
Driven the Transformation of China’s Environmental
Protection Management System, Which in Turn Has Laid
an Institutional Cornerstone for the Balance Between
Socioeconomic Development and Environmental
Protection
Forty-seven years have passed since environment protection was officially put on
the Chinese government’s agenda in 1972. Over these years, China’s environmental
protection system would improve significantly every decade or so. The Environmental Protection Leadership Group of the State Council has been renamed the
Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The development of the environment protection system in China is in essence a process of adaption to changes of China’s
economic and social conditions brought by the reform and opening-up. China’s
environment protection management system and model are constantly adjusted to
address new environmental problems.
The years 1972–1988 were the first crucial period in the China’s environmental protection history. During this period, China established the Environmental
Protection Leadership Group of the State Council and then reorganized it into the
State Administration of Environment Protection (directly under the State Council)
and upgraded environmental protection into a priority in its national system of
macro-management.
Before 1972, although environmental pollution had already become a serious
problem in many places, the Chinese government believed that there was no environmental pollution in socialist countries, and industrial pollution was the product of
capitalism. It was not until the Chinese government sent a delegation to participate in
the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Sweden in June 1972
that this mindset began to change. In August 1973, the State Council held the first
national environmental protection conference and passed the Environmental Protection and Improvement Regulations (Interim), proposing to plan environment protection in a holistic and rational manner, improve resource allocation efficiency, reduce
the negative environmental impact of human activities, and encourage everyone to
participate in environment protection, officially putting environment protection on
the Chinese government’s agenda. In October 1974, the Environmental Protection
Leadership Group of the State Council was formally established.
In December 1978, at the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central
Committee, it was decided China will launch its reform and opening-up and shift its
focus to economic development. After the session, China began to deploy the household contract responsibility system in rural areas, pushed fast forward the economic
reform and opening-up, and worked hard for the emancipation of productive forces.
In August 1980, Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was established. In 1984, 14
coastal cities opened gates to the outside world. A large number of labor-intensive
industries were relocated from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan to the
Z. Xie
1 Over the Past 40 Years, Socioeconomic Progress Has
Driven the Transformation of China’s Environmental
Protection Management System, Which in Turn Has Laid
an Institutional Cornerstone for the Balance Between
Socioeconomic Development and Environmental
Protection
Forty-seven years have passed since environment protection was officially put on
the Chinese government’s agenda in 1972. Over these years, China’s environmental
protection system would improve significantly every decade or so. The Environmental Protection Leadership Group of the State Council has been renamed the
Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The development of the environment protection system in China is in essence a process of adaption to changes of China’s
economic and social conditions brought by the reform and opening-up. China’s
environment protection management system and model are constantly adjusted to
address new environmental problems.
The years 1972–1988 were the first crucial period in the China’s environmental protection history. During this period, China established the Environmental
Protection Leadership Group of the State Council and then reorganized it into the
State Administration of Environment Protection (directly under the State Council)
and upgraded environmental protection into a priority in its national system of
macro-management.
Before 1972, although environmental pollution had already become a serious
problem in many places, the Chinese government believed that there was no environmental pollution in socialist countries, and industrial pollution was the product of
capitalism. It was not until the Chinese government sent a delegation to participate in
the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Sweden in June 1972
that this mindset began to change. In August 1973, the State Council held the first
national environmental protection conference and passed the Environmental Protection and Improvement Regulations (Interim), proposing to plan environment protection in a holistic and rational manner, improve resource allocation efficiency, reduce
the negative environmental impact of human activities, and encourage everyone to
participate in environment protection, officially putting environment protection on
the Chinese government’s agenda. In October 1974, the Environmental Protection
Leadership Group of the State Council was formally established.
In December 1978, at the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central
Committee, it was decided China will launch its reform and opening-up and shift its
focus to economic development. After the session, China began to deploy the household contract responsibility system in rural areas, pushed fast forward the economic
reform and opening-up, and worked hard for the emancipation of productive forces.
In August 1980, Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was established. In 1984, 14
coastal cities opened gates to the outside world. A large number of labor-intensive
industries were relocated from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan to the