466
D. Hong
protection authorities, posing a contrast to the decline of conflicts in other forms. It
is reported that Zhou Shengxian, former Minister of Environmental Protection, once
said, “While the total number of petitions, and the number of group petitions, irregular petitions and mass events have been falling, the number of environment-related
petitions and mass events has increased by more than 30% every year.”
Fourth, the CPC and the government have adjusted their work priorities and acted
proactively. The socialism with Chinese characteristics, as the basic system of China,
is essentially distinguished by the adherence to the CPC’s leadership. The CPC in
return upholds the people’s principal position, implements its fundamental purpose
of serving the people whole-heartedly, works to meet their aspiration for a good life,
and adjusts its work directions and priorities continuously according to the changing
social contradictions. At the beginning of the reform and opening-up when productivity was low and people generally lived in poverty, accelerating the emancipation
and development of productivity, stepping up the development and utilization of
resources and environment and taking economic growth as the center were naturally
and imperatively made priorities. But even in such a case, the CPC and the government still attached importance to environmental protection and kept improving the
team, organization and institution for that purpose while boosting economic growth.
Since we entered the twenty-first century, especially after the 18th CPC National
Congress, the CPC Central Committee, having deeply analyzed the changing trend
in main social contradictions, pointed out in the report of the 19th CPC National
Congress, “As socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, the
principal contradiction facing Chinese society has evolved. What we now face is
the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people’s
ever-growing needs for a better life. China has seen the basic needs of over a billion
people met, has basically made it possible for people to live decent lives, and will soon
bring the building of a moderately prosperous society to a successful completion.
The needs to be met for the people to live better lives are increasingly broad. Not
only have their material and cultural needs grown; their demands for democracy, rule
of law, fairness and justice, security, and a better environment are also increasing. At
the same time, China’s overall productive forces have significantly improved and in
many areas our production capacity leads the world. The more prominent problem
is that our development is unbalanced and inadequate, which has become the main
constraining factor in meeting the people’s increasing needs for a better life.”
Based on this judgment of the overall situation of socioeconomic development
and the understanding of the changed principal social contradiction, the CPC and the
government, bearing in mind people’s general and long-term interests, have placed
more stress on high-quality development, promoted the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan,
and made careful deployments for the tough battle of environmental protection.
The Third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee decided that we
must establish a systematic and complete institution for ecological civilization, carry
out the most rigorous source protection system, damage compensation system and
accountability system, and perfect the environmental governance and ecological
restoration system to protect the ecological environment. China’s institutional work
for ecological civilization has made rapid and substantial progress since 2015.
D. Hong
protection authorities, posing a contrast to the decline of conflicts in other forms. It
is reported that Zhou Shengxian, former Minister of Environmental Protection, once
said, “While the total number of petitions, and the number of group petitions, irregular petitions and mass events have been falling, the number of environment-related
petitions and mass events has increased by more than 30% every year.”
Fourth, the CPC and the government have adjusted their work priorities and acted
proactively. The socialism with Chinese characteristics, as the basic system of China,
is essentially distinguished by the adherence to the CPC’s leadership. The CPC in
return upholds the people’s principal position, implements its fundamental purpose
of serving the people whole-heartedly, works to meet their aspiration for a good life,
and adjusts its work directions and priorities continuously according to the changing
social contradictions. At the beginning of the reform and opening-up when productivity was low and people generally lived in poverty, accelerating the emancipation
and development of productivity, stepping up the development and utilization of
resources and environment and taking economic growth as the center were naturally
and imperatively made priorities. But even in such a case, the CPC and the government still attached importance to environmental protection and kept improving the
team, organization and institution for that purpose while boosting economic growth.
Since we entered the twenty-first century, especially after the 18th CPC National
Congress, the CPC Central Committee, having deeply analyzed the changing trend
in main social contradictions, pointed out in the report of the 19th CPC National
Congress, “As socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, the
principal contradiction facing Chinese society has evolved. What we now face is
the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people’s
ever-growing needs for a better life. China has seen the basic needs of over a billion
people met, has basically made it possible for people to live decent lives, and will soon
bring the building of a moderately prosperous society to a successful completion.
The needs to be met for the people to live better lives are increasingly broad. Not
only have their material and cultural needs grown; their demands for democracy, rule
of law, fairness and justice, security, and a better environment are also increasing. At
the same time, China’s overall productive forces have significantly improved and in
many areas our production capacity leads the world. The more prominent problem
is that our development is unbalanced and inadequate, which has become the main
constraining factor in meeting the people’s increasing needs for a better life.”
Based on this judgment of the overall situation of socioeconomic development
and the understanding of the changed principal social contradiction, the CPC and the
government, bearing in mind people’s general and long-term interests, have placed
more stress on high-quality development, promoted the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan,
and made careful deployments for the tough battle of environmental protection.
The Third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee decided that we
must establish a systematic and complete institution for ecological civilization, carry
out the most rigorous source protection system, damage compensation system and
accountability system, and perfect the environmental governance and ecological
restoration system to protect the ecological environment. China’s institutional work
for ecological civilization has made rapid and substantial progress since 2015.