China promotes clean production, curbs emission for green development

BEIJING - China will promote clean industrial production, low-carbon development and energy conservation to ensure sustainable growth in the next five years, said a document issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Tuesday.

"China will stick to green development and strive to improve the environment," said proposals released by the CPC Central Committee on the 13th Five-year Plan (2016-2020) for national economic and social development.

China will steer traditional manufacturing along an environmentally friendly path, establish a low-carbon production system and encourage businesses to upgrade technology, the document said.

A green development fund will be established to promote clean production through clean energy, green transportation, control of carbon emissions in major industries and a circular economy.

"China will advance the energy revolution," the document said, through better technology and use of non-fossil fuels. Clean energy including wind power, solar energy, biomass energy, hydropower and geothermal energy will be highlighted. Nuclear power will be developed in a safe and efficient manner.

China will open exploration rights of natural gas to more companies and encourage exploitation of shale and coalbed gas.

Low-carbon public transportation will be boosted by an improved rail transport system along with new energy vehicles and green construction materials.

"China will actively control carbon emissions," the document said, especially in major sectors such as electricity, steel, construction materials and the chemical industry.

The country will promote conservation of energy, water and land resources. "China will implement the strictest water resource management...and pilot a crop rotation and fallow system," said the document. China will also establish a system to allocate pollution rights, carbon emission rights and energy and water use rights for enterprises.

China will ban commercial logging of natural forest and improve forest growing stock.

The country will also strengthen protection of endangered species through breeding centers and gene banks, while improving management and control of wildlife imports and exports including ivory.