13.2 General Framework
277
13.2.1 General Reform Plan of the Eco-Civilization System
After the 2013 Decision, the State Council issued the Eco-civilization Institution
General Reform Plan in September 2015. The document develops the principle
of eco-civilization institutional reform. Based on the public ownership of natural
resource assets, the reform is to innovate the property rights system and the exercise of ownership rights, distinguish the owner’s rights and manager’s power over
natural resource assets, and rationally allocate central and local responsibilities and
supervision duties to guarantee that the general public will share the benefits from
the publicly owned natural resource assets.
The document calls for the development of a “clear property rights, multiparticipation, incentive and restraint combined, and systemic and improved” ecocivilization system. The eco-civilization system is designed into eight systems that
should be developed before 2020, including a natural resource assets property rights
system, a development, and protection system for terrestrial space, a spatial planning system, a resource total volume management and saving system, a payingfor-resource usage and eco-compensation system, an environmental control system,
an environmental control and eco-protection market system, and an eco-civilization
performance assessment and accountability system.
In terms of natural resources, the document aims to solve the problem of the
owner and the unclear boundary of ownership rights. The document outlines the key
tasks that need to be accomplished to improve natural resources asset property rights
system, which include.
Developing a unified clarification and registration system. In accordance with
the principle of publicly owned and property rights in the law, the property rights
holder of natural resources should be clarified. The property rights of the natural
eco-space, including water, must be unified, clarified, and registered. The boundaries between publicly owned and collectively owned, between publicly owned and
exercise of ownership rights by governments at various levels, between different
collective owners must be clarified. This legalization will occur to clarify and register
property rights.
Developing a natural resource property rights system with clear rights and
responsibilities. The rights list should be developed to clarify the rights of the property rights holders of natural resources. The relationship between ownership rights
and usufructuary rights should be developed. The exercise of public ownership and
collective ownership must be innovated. The ownership rights and usufructuary rights
of natural assets should be separated, except for those with important ecological
functions. The commissions (rights) of owning, using, benefiting, and disposing
of rights shall be clarified, as well as the responsibilities. The usufructuary rights,
such as selling, transferring, leasing, mortgaging, guaranteeing, and shareholding,
should be reasonably expanded. The payment for natural resource assets shall be
comprehensively covered to avoid free and low-price sales.
Improving the national natural resource assets management institution. In
accordance with the principle of “separating owner and manager, and one issue per
277
13.2.1 General Reform Plan of the Eco-Civilization System
After the 2013 Decision, the State Council issued the Eco-civilization Institution
General Reform Plan in September 2015. The document develops the principle
of eco-civilization institutional reform. Based on the public ownership of natural
resource assets, the reform is to innovate the property rights system and the exercise of ownership rights, distinguish the owner’s rights and manager’s power over
natural resource assets, and rationally allocate central and local responsibilities and
supervision duties to guarantee that the general public will share the benefits from
the publicly owned natural resource assets.
The document calls for the development of a “clear property rights, multiparticipation, incentive and restraint combined, and systemic and improved” ecocivilization system. The eco-civilization system is designed into eight systems that
should be developed before 2020, including a natural resource assets property rights
system, a development, and protection system for terrestrial space, a spatial planning system, a resource total volume management and saving system, a payingfor-resource usage and eco-compensation system, an environmental control system,
an environmental control and eco-protection market system, and an eco-civilization
performance assessment and accountability system.
In terms of natural resources, the document aims to solve the problem of the
owner and the unclear boundary of ownership rights. The document outlines the key
tasks that need to be accomplished to improve natural resources asset property rights
system, which include.
Developing a unified clarification and registration system. In accordance with
the principle of publicly owned and property rights in the law, the property rights
holder of natural resources should be clarified. The property rights of the natural
eco-space, including water, must be unified, clarified, and registered. The boundaries between publicly owned and collectively owned, between publicly owned and
exercise of ownership rights by governments at various levels, between different
collective owners must be clarified. This legalization will occur to clarify and register
property rights.
Developing a natural resource property rights system with clear rights and
responsibilities. The rights list should be developed to clarify the rights of the property rights holders of natural resources. The relationship between ownership rights
and usufructuary rights should be developed. The exercise of public ownership and
collective ownership must be innovated. The ownership rights and usufructuary rights
of natural assets should be separated, except for those with important ecological
functions. The commissions (rights) of owning, using, benefiting, and disposing
of rights shall be clarified, as well as the responsibilities. The usufructuary rights,
such as selling, transferring, leasing, mortgaging, guaranteeing, and shareholding,
should be reasonably expanded. The payment for natural resource assets shall be
comprehensively covered to avoid free and low-price sales.
Improving the national natural resource assets management institution. In
accordance with the principle of “separating owner and manager, and one issue per