Logo 12 Jan 2024

Super duper serious

The next five years are crucial for building a "beautiful China."

Don't believe us? Just ask Xi Jinping, who said as much in his recently published speech at the once-in-five-year National Ecological and Environmental Protection Conference.

On Thursday, the Party Central Committee and the State Council dropped a hefty policy document aimed at making China beautiful (by improving its eco-environment).

The guidelines lays out detailed, quantitative targets for 2027, including for:

  • Raising the market share of NEVs to 45% of all new vehicle sales in 2027 (up from a target of 25% in 2025)
  • Reducing fine particulate pollution
  • Improving surface water quality
  • Ensuring cities go "waste-free"

That's not all.

The guidelines also have teeth, stipulating that:

  • Officials will be held accountable for decisions that harm the environment.
  • Natural resources exit audits and public interest litigation will be strengthened.
  • Central environmental regulators will get more power to crack down on sub-provincial bureaus.
  • All jurisdictions will submit annual progress reports that will be reviewed by the highest levels of leadership.

Get smart: We're impressed. Beijing means business when it includes quantitative targets and a whole bunch of enforcement measures in a high-level policy document.

Get smarter: Businesses should expect strict enforcement of environmental regulations to resume and continue beyond 2024.

sources

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The next five years are crucial for building a "beautiful China."
Don't believe us? Just ask Xi Jinping, who said as much in his recently published speech at the once-in-five-year National Ecological and Environmental Protection Conference.
On Thursday, the Party Central Committee and the State Cou...