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.