160
J. Wang
conserve marine biodiversity and protect the important marine habitats and landscapes. Priority was attached, for example, to the restoration of mangroves, coral
reefs and coastal wetlands.
64 The specific goal until 2020 was that the total pollutants into the sea will be reduced 10% and the percentage of the area of marine
protected areas out of the marine areas under China’s jurisdiction will be reached
5%.
65 In order to better implement the policies of marine environmental protection
stipulated in the Program, the Circular on Essential Points for Marine Environmental
Protection was issued by SOA in 2010, which defines the divided responsibility of
ocean management authorities and requires the relevant departments at all levels to
take their own responsibility and to establish an effective monitoring system.
66 It
should be noted that within this stage, a large number of governmental documents
on marine environmental risk assessment and contingency plans were issued, which
implies that China’s marine environmental protection policy pays more attention to
prevent the pollution in advance.
China’s latest ocean policy has been developed since 2012. The 18th National
Congress of the Communist Party (CPC), held in 2012, was a defining moment in
China’s maritime history, in which, it was put forth that China will ‘improve its
capacity for exploitation of marine resources, develop the marine economy, protect
marine environment, resolutely safeguard China’s rights and interests, and build
China into a strong maritime power.’
67 Since then, ‘building China into a strong
maritime power’ has become the core of China’s ocean policy. A maritime power
means a country with ‘a great comprehensive power to develop, utilize, protect,
manage and control the ocean’
68 which requires China’s ocean policy towards a
more holistic and unified way. Thus, the policy markers began to pay attention to
the marine strategic plan. After the strategy of a maritime power was put forward, a
series of marine development strategies have been established, such as the strategy
of Maritime Silk Road,
69 the strategy of land and sea coordinated and the integrated marine management. The relationship between strategy and the policy is that
64 See the Program on the Development of National Marine Affairs, Chap. 4.
65 Ibid.
66 See supra note 44, p. 148.
67 ‘Full text of Hu Jintao’s Report at the 18th Party Congress,’ Xinhua, 17 November 2012, available
at english.qstheory.cn/18cpcnc/201212/t20121205_198520.htm, last accessed 25 January 2020.
68 Xu Sheng, ‘Follow the Path of Maritime Power with Chinese Characteristics.’ Qiushi online
November 2013,available at http://www.qstheory.cn/, last accessed 25 January 2020.
69 The strategy of twenty-first Century Maritime Silk Road was proposed in October 2013, which
aims to connect China with trading hubs around the world by port development in South-East Asia,
around the Indian Ocean and in the eastern Mediterranean region. For more detailed information
of twenty-first Century Maritime Silk Road, see Frans-Paul van der Putten and Minke Meijnders, China, Europe and the Maritime Silk Road, Clingendael report, March 2015, available at
https://www.clingendael.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/China_Maritime_Silk_Road.pdf, last accessed
25 January 2020.
J. Wang
conserve marine biodiversity and protect the important marine habitats and landscapes. Priority was attached, for example, to the restoration of mangroves, coral
reefs and coastal wetlands.
64 The specific goal until 2020 was that the total pollutants into the sea will be reduced 10% and the percentage of the area of marine
protected areas out of the marine areas under China’s jurisdiction will be reached
5%.
65 In order to better implement the policies of marine environmental protection
stipulated in the Program, the Circular on Essential Points for Marine Environmental
Protection was issued by SOA in 2010, which defines the divided responsibility of
ocean management authorities and requires the relevant departments at all levels to
take their own responsibility and to establish an effective monitoring system.
66 It
should be noted that within this stage, a large number of governmental documents
on marine environmental risk assessment and contingency plans were issued, which
implies that China’s marine environmental protection policy pays more attention to
prevent the pollution in advance.
China’s latest ocean policy has been developed since 2012. The 18th National
Congress of the Communist Party (CPC), held in 2012, was a defining moment in
China’s maritime history, in which, it was put forth that China will ‘improve its
capacity for exploitation of marine resources, develop the marine economy, protect
marine environment, resolutely safeguard China’s rights and interests, and build
China into a strong maritime power.’
67 Since then, ‘building China into a strong
maritime power’ has become the core of China’s ocean policy. A maritime power
means a country with ‘a great comprehensive power to develop, utilize, protect,
manage and control the ocean’
68 which requires China’s ocean policy towards a
more holistic and unified way. Thus, the policy markers began to pay attention to
the marine strategic plan. After the strategy of a maritime power was put forward, a
series of marine development strategies have been established, such as the strategy
of Maritime Silk Road,
69 the strategy of land and sea coordinated and the integrated marine management. The relationship between strategy and the policy is that
64 See the Program on the Development of National Marine Affairs, Chap. 4.
65 Ibid.
66 See supra note 44, p. 148.
67 ‘Full text of Hu Jintao’s Report at the 18th Party Congress,’ Xinhua, 17 November 2012, available
at english.qstheory.cn/18cpcnc/201212/t20121205_198520.htm, last accessed 25 January 2020.
68 Xu Sheng, ‘Follow the Path of Maritime Power with Chinese Characteristics.’ Qiushi online
November 2013,available at http://www.qstheory.cn/, last accessed 25 January 2020.
69 The strategy of twenty-first Century Maritime Silk Road was proposed in October 2013, which
aims to connect China with trading hubs around the world by port development in South-East Asia,
around the Indian Ocean and in the eastern Mediterranean region. For more detailed information
of twenty-first Century Maritime Silk Road, see Frans-Paul van der Putten and Minke Meijnders, China, Europe and the Maritime Silk Road, Clingendael report, March 2015, available at
https://www.clingendael.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/China_Maritime_Silk_Road.pdf, last accessed
25 January 2020.