(December 27,2023)

Building a beautiful China is an important goal of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way and an important part of realizing the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation. In order to comprehensively promote the building of a beautiful China and accelerate the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, the following opinions are hereby put forward.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has placed ecological civilization construction at a prominent position in its overall work, strengthening ecological and environmental protection in an all-round, all-regional, and all-process manner, and achieving major transformations from focal point remediation to systematic governance, from passive response to proactive action, from a participant in global environmental governance to a leader, and from practical exploration to scientific theoretical guidance. Major strides have been made in the construction of Beautiful China.

Currently, China's economic and social development has entered a stage of accelerated green and low-carbon high-quality development. Ecological civilization construction is still in a critical period of overlapping pressures and arduous advancement. Structural, root, and trend pressures on ecological and environmental protection have not yet been fundamentally alleviated. The endogenous driving force for the green transformation of economic and social development is insufficient. The foundation for steady improvement in ecological and environmental quality is not yet solid. The degradation trend of some regional ecosystems has not yet been fundamentally reversed. The task of constructing Beautiful China remains arduous.On the new journey, it is imperative to place the construction of Beautiful China at a prominent position in building a powerful nation and national rejuvenation, maintain strategic resolve in strengthening ecological civilization construction, unwaveringly follow the path of civilized development featuring production development, affluent life, and good ecology, and build a beautiful home with blue skies, green lands, and clear waters.

       Comprehensively promote the building of a beautiful China, We must follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, Thoroughly implement the Party's 20th guiding principles, To implement the arrangements of the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection, Firmly establish and practice the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are mountains of gold and silver, We should strike a balance between high-quality development and high-level protection, key issues and coordinated governance, natural recovery and artificial repair, external constraints and internal driving forces, "two-carbon" commitment and independent action, To coordinate industrial restructuring, pollution control, ecological protection, and address climate change, Jointly promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion and growth, To safeguard national ecological security, We will improve institutions for promoting ecological progress, Supporting high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment, We will accelerate the formation of a new pattern of building a beautiful China guided by the modernization of harmony between man and nature, To consolidate the ecological foundation for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Main goal is: by 2027, the green low carbon development was deepened, the main pollutant emissions continue to reduce, ecological environment quality continues to improve, optimized national spatial development protection pattern, ecosystem service function, urban and rural living environment improved significantly, effective guarantee of national ecological security, ecological environment management system more perfect, form a batch of practice model, beautiful China construction fruitful.By 2035, widely formed green production way of life, carbon emissions after peak stability, ecological environment fundamental improvement, national spatial development protection new pattern comprehensive formation, ecosystem diversity stability continuity significantly increased, national ecological security more stable, ecological environment management system and management ability of modern basic implementation, beautiful China goal basic implementation. Looking ahead to the middle of this century, ecological progress will be improved in all respects, green development models and ways of life will take shape in all respects, key areas will be deeply decarbonized, the ecological environment will be healthy and beautiful, ecological and environmental governance systems and capacity will be fully modernized, and a beautiful China will be fully built.

We will set the goal of building a beautiful China, adhere to targeted, scientific and law-based pollution control, and in light of the new needs of high-quality economic and social development and the people's new expectations for improving the ecological and environment, step up efforts to address prominent ecological and environmental problems, and accelerate the improvement of ecological and environmental quality. In the 14th Five-Year Plan, the continuous improvement of ecological environment; the 15th Five-Year Plan to consolidate and expand the overall improvement of ecological environment; the 16th Five-Year Plan to achieve the fundamental improvement of ecological environment. We must insist on:

—— Full-field transformation. We will vigorously promote economic and social development more green and low-carbon, accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation in energy, industry, transportation, urban and rural development, and agriculture, strengthen green scientific and technological innovation, and enhance the internal driving force and innovative vitality of building a beautiful China.

—— All-round improvement. We will continue to balance factors of production and integrate urban and rural areas, carry out the "beautiful series", focus on building beautiful blue skies, rivers and lakes, bays, and mountains and rivers, build beautiful Chinese pilot zones, beautiful cities, and beautiful villages, and create a new picture of beautiful China, each beautiful and beautiful together.

—— Whole-country regional construction. We will take measures in accordance with local conditions and promote the development of a beautiful China step by step, showing the magnificent scenery of the western region, the vast scenery of the northeast, the beautiful mountains and rivers in the central region, and the beautiful charm of the harmonious east, and creating a distinctive and beautiful China.

—— Whole social action. We will transform the building of a beautiful China into a conscious behavior of all the people, and encourage industrial parks, enterprises, communities, schools and other grass-roots units to take green, clean and zero-carbon leading actions, so as to create a favorable social atmosphere in which everyone participates and shares.

(1) Improving the pattern of development and protection of territorial space. We will improve the system of functional zones, improve the system of territorial spatial planning, and coordinate the distribution of agricultural, ecological, and urban areas. We will adhere to the red line for ecological protection, strengthen law enforcement, oversight, protection and restoration, and ensure that the red line for ecological protection nationwide is over 3.15 million square kilometers. We will resolutely keep the red line of 1.8 billion mu of arable land and ensure that the amount of arable land that can be used for a long time is not reduced. We will strictly control the boundaries of urban development, and promote the connotative, intensive and green development of urban space. We will strictly control the shoreline space of rivers and lakes. We will strengthen control over territorial space in Marine and coastal zones, establish a withdrawal mechanism for low-efficiency seas, and add no new reclamation except for major national projects. We will improve the ecological environment management and control system covering the whole region, and "clear bottom line" and "border" for development. By 2035, the retention rate of the mainland's natural coastline will not be held by less than 35 percent, and the ecological function of the red line will not be reduced and its nature will not be changed.

(2) Actively yet prudently promote carbon peak growth and carbon neutrality. We plan to implement the carbon peak action step by step, and strive to achieve the carbon peak by 2030, and lay the foundation for efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. We will continue to accelerate the planning and development of a new energy system to ensure energy security. We will focus on controlling the consumption of coal and other fossil energy sources, strengthen the clean and efficient use of coal, vigorously develop non-fossil energy sources, and accelerate the development of a new type of power system. We will carry out trials of collaborative innovation in reducing pollution and carbon carbon in various fields and levels. We will gradually shift dual control of energy consumption to control of both total and intensity of carbon emissions, and strengthen the basic capacity and institutions for dual control of carbon emissions. National greenhouse gas lists have been compiled year by year. We will implement action plans for controlling methane emissions, and study and formulate action plans for controlling other non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions.We will further develop the national carbon market, steadily expand the coverage of industries, enrich the trading varieties and methods, and build and improve a national voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading market. By 2035, the proportion of non-fossil energy in total energy consumption will be further increased, and a more effective, more dynamic and more internationally influential carbon market will be built.

(3) We will coordinate green and low-carbon development in key areas. We will deepen the integration of digitalization and intelligence with green industries, accelerate the development of a modern industrial system supported by the real economy, and vigorously develop strategic emerging industries, high-tech industries, green and environmental protection industries, and modern service industries. We will strictly control market access and resolutely curb the blind launch of projects with high energy consumption, high emissions and low levels. We will vigorously promote the upgrading of traditional industries in processes, technologies and equipment, achieve green and low-carbon transformation, and implement projects to improve the level of cleaner production. We will accelerate the upgrading of existing buildings and municipal infrastructure, and promote the large-scale development of ultra-low energy consumption and low-carbon buildings. We will vigorously promote the transfer of railway to railway and water, accelerate the construction of special railway lines, and improve the level of clean transportation of bulk goods. We will promote green upgrading of railway terminals, civil airports, ports, logistics parks, and railway electrification, and promote the large-scale application of ultra-low and near-zero emission vehicles, and the clean and low-carbon application of non-road mobile machinery. By 2027, the proportion of new energy vehicles will reach 45%, the old diesel locomotives will be basically eliminated, and the port container combined volume of iron water will maintain rapid growth; by 2035, the proportion of railway freight turnover will reach about 25%.

(4) Promoting the economical and intensive use of all types of resources. We will implement a comprehensive conservation strategy and promote saving energy, water, land, materials and mines. We will continue to deepen energy conservation in key areas and strengthen the management of energy use in new infrastructure facilities. We will fully implement the national water-saving campaign, strengthen control of both the total and intensity of water use, improve the efficiency of water use in key water use industries and products, actively promote the utilization of sewage resources, and strengthen the allocation and utilization of unconventional water sources. We will improve the system for the economical and intensive use of land, and promote technologies and models for land conservation. Establish a green manufacturing system and a service system. We will launch a campaign to improve the quality and efficiency of the comprehensive utilization of resources. We will accelerate the construction of a waste recycling system, and promote the recycling of waste fan blades, photovoltaic modules, power batteries, and express packages. We will promote the conservation of raw materials and the recycling of resources, and vigorously develop the remanufacturing industry. We will comprehensively promote the construction of green mines. By 2035, the utilization efficiency of energy and water resources will reach the international advanced level.

(5)Continue to deepen the battle to keep our skies blue. With the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and its surrounding areas, the Yangtze River Delta, the Fenhe-Weihe Plain and other key areas as the main battlefield, and the control of fine particulate matter as the main line, we will vigorously promote coordinated emission reduction of multiple pollutants. We will strengthen comprehensive treatment of volatile organic compounds and implement projects to replace the source. We will promote high-quality upgrading of key industries such as steel, cement and coking as well as coal-fired boilers with ultra-low emissions. We will take measures to use clean energy and replace central heating in light of local conditions, and continue to control pollution from loose coal, coal-fired boilers and industrial furnaces. We will continue to control total coal consumption in key areas. We will study and formulate vehicle emission standards for the next stage, carry out research on oil quality standards for the new stage, and strengthen joint supervision and law enforcement by departments. We will strengthen regional joint prevention and control, and deepen the performance classification of key industries with heavy pollution weather. We will continue to implement actions to prevent and control noise pollution. We will work hard to solve pollution problems such as odor and food fumes. We will strengthen environmental management of ozone-depleting substances and hydrofluorocarbons. By 2027, the national average concentration of fine particulate matter will drop to below 28 micrograms per cubic meter, and all cities at the local level and above will strive to meet the standard; by 2035, the national concentration of fine particulate matter will drop to below 25 micrograms per cubic meter, achieving fresh air and blue sky.

(6) Continue to fight to protect clear water. We will coordinate the improvement of water resources, water environment and water ecology, further promote the protection and management of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers and major lakes, and optimize and adjust water function zoning and management systems. We will make solid progress in the construction of water sources and backup water sources. We will basically complete the investigation and improvement of sewage outlets into rivers and sea, and establish a monitoring and supervision system for sewage outlets. Implement the performance classification of sewage treatment and discharge level of enterprises in key industries. We will move faster to strengthen weak links in urban sewage collection and treatment facilities, build model areas covering all urban sewage pipelines, strengthen the harmless treatment and resource utilization of sludge, and build green and low-carbon benchmark plants for sewage treatment. We will carry out endogenous pollution control and ecological restoration in light of local conditions, basically eliminate black and odorous water bodies in urban and rural areas, and form a long-term mechanism. We will establish a water ecological assessment mechanism, strengthen the protection and restoration of water conservation areas and ecological buffer zones, strengthen the unified management of water resources, and ensure the ecological flow of rivers and lakes. We will continue to coordinate land and sea, and promote comprehensive management of key sea areas.With the bay as the basic unit, the "one bay, one policy" has coordinated efforts to prevent and control pollution in coastal waters, ecological protection and restoration, and environmental improvement of the coastal beaches, so as to continuously improve the quality and stability of mangroves and other important Marine ecosystems. We will strengthen the improvement of the mariculture environment. We will actively respond to ecological disasters such as cyanobacteria blooms and red tides and green tides. We will promote the removal of rivers, lakes and reservoirs and Marine waste. By 2027, the proportion of excellent surface water quality and coastal waters will reach about 90% and 83% respectively, and the completion rate of beautiful rivers, lakes and beautiful bays will reach about 40%. By 2035, "beautiful rivers and lakes with harmony between people and water" will be basically completed.

(7) Continue to fight deeply to defend the pure land. We will launch campaigns to prevent and control soil pollution at sources, strictly prevent new pollution, and gradually solve the problem of serious accumulated soil and groundwater pollution. We will strengthen the protection of cultivated land under priority protection, make solid progress in the safe use and risk control of contaminated cultivated land, and promote the traceability and remediation of soil heavy metal pollution in agricultural land by stages. We will strengthen joint supervision of the use of construction land and risk control of contaminated plots in accordance with the law, and promote risk control and repair of large-scale contaminated sites. We will carry out monitoring of the soil and groundwater environment around key soil pollution supervision units, and carry out the second national survey of soil pollution in due course. We will carry out nationwide investigation and evaluation of groundwater pollution, strengthen environmental protection of groundwater drinking water sources, and strictly control environmental risks in key areas of groundwater pollution prevention and control. We will work hard to fight against pollution in agriculture and rural areas. By 2027, the safe utilization rate of polluted cultivated land will reach 94%, and the safe utilization of construction land will be effectively guaranteed; by 2035, the proportion of class I-water at national groundwater control points will reach 80%, and the soil environmental risks will be fully controlled.

(8) Strengthening the treatment of solid waste and new pollutants. We will accelerate the development of "waste-free cities", continue to control new pollutants, and promote the realization of waste-free and healthy environment in urban and rural areas. We will strengthen comprehensive treatment of solid waste, limit excessive packaging of commodities, and control plastic pollution in the whole chain. We will deepen the total ban on the entry of foreign waste, and strictly prevent the smuggling of various forms of solid waste and disguised imports. We will strengthen the capacity for the supervision, utilization and disposal of hazardous waste, and strengthen pollution control in tailings ponds, with the focus on the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Yellow River Basin. Formulate regulations on environmental risk management of toxic and harmful chemical substances.By 2027, the proportion of "waste-free city" will reach 60%, and the intensity of solid waste will decrease significantly; by 2035, the construction of "waste-free city" will achieve full coverage, the eastern province will take the lead in building "waste-free city" in the whole region, and the environmental risk of new pollutants will be effectively controlled.

(9)Build a solid natural ecological barrier. We will strengthen national ecological security barriers, and promote the protection of key national ecological function zones and major ecological corridors. We will comprehensively promote the development of a system of protected natural areas with national parks as the main body, and complete the integration and optimization of protected natural areas across the country. We will implement a national project for monitoring, evaluating and early warning natural ecological resources. We will strengthen the regulatory system for ecological protection and restoration, and strengthen unified oversight. We will strictly supervise the owners, developers and even regulators, promptly detect and investigate all kinds of ecological damage incidents, and resolutely put an end to formalism in ecological restoration. We will strengthen monitoring and assessment of ecological conditions, and conduct assessment of the effectiveness of ecological protection and restoration. We will continue to strengthen oversight of "green shield" protected natural areas and establish an oversight mechanism for the ecological protection red line. By 2035, the national park system will be basically completed, and the ecosystem will be more stable, showing beautiful mountains and rivers.

(10)Implementing integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands and sand. We will accelerate the implementation of major projects to protect and restore important ecosystems, and promote the recuperation of grasslands, forests, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. We will continue to implement the integrated protection and restoration project of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands and sand. We will carry out large-scale land greening campaigns in a scientific way, step up efforts to protect and restore grasslands and wetlands, strengthen comprehensive control of desertification, stony desertification, and soil erosion, fully implement sustainable forest management, and strengthen prevention and fire prevention in forests and grasslands. Focusing on the sand sources and transmission routes affecting Beijing and other key areas, we will continue to promote the construction of the "three North" project and the control of the sources of sandstorms in Beijing and Tianjin, and make every effort to fight the three landmark battles. We will move forward to consolidate and upgrade the carbon sink capacity of ecosystems. By 2035, the country's forest coverage rate will rise to 26 percent, the soil and water conservation rate to 75 percent, and the ecosystem will basically achieve a virtuous cycle.

(11)We will strengthen biodiversity conservation. We will strengthen the coordination role of the coordination mechanism for biodiversity conservation, implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, update China's biodiversity conservation strategy and action plan, and implement major projects for biodiversity conservation. We will improve the national biodiversity conservation network, fully protect wildlife, and gradually establish a system of national botanical gardens. We will further advance the campaign to rescue rare and endangered species in the Yangtze River, and continue to implement the ten-year ban on fishing in the Yangtze River. We will fully implement the system of Marine fishing moratorium in summer seasons and build modern Marine ranches. By 2035, the land area of protected natural areas will account for no less than 18 percent of the land area, and typical ecosystems, wildlife under key state protection and their habitats will be fully protected.

(12)Improving the country's ecological security system. Implement the overall national security concept, improve the national ecological security work coordination mechanism, strengthen cooperation and economic security, resource security areas, improve the national ecological security system of the rule of law, strategic system, policy system, management system, improve national ecological security risk assessment, monitoring and early warning, emergency response and disposal ability, form the global linkage, three-dimensional and efficient national ecological security protection system.

(13)Ensuring nuclear and radiation safety. We will strengthen the overall role of the national coordination mechanism for nuclear safety work, establish a strict responsibility system for nuclear safety, comprehensively improve the capacity for nuclear safety supervision, build a modern nuclear safety supervision system that is compatible with the development of China's nuclear industry, and promote the high-quality development of nuclear safety. We will strengthen the safety management of the first new reactor, carry out regular safety evaluation of operating facilities and implement continuous improvement, accelerate the treatment of old facilities and the treatment and disposal of radioactive waste left over from history, and strengthen the safety management of the use of nuclear technology and the environmental management of electromagnetic radiation. We will strengthen monitoring and research on the Marine radiation environment in the sea areas under our jurisdiction, and improve our risk early warning, monitoring and emergency response capabilities. We will continue to pursue independent innovation and safe development, and strengthen key and basic scientific and technological research and development in nuclear security, and intelligent safety management.

(14)Strengthen biosafety management. To strengthen the detection, identification, evaluation and monitoring of environmental risks in biotechnology and its products. We will strengthen whole-chain prevention and control and systematic governance, and improve the biosafety supervision, early warning and prevention system. We will strengthen pest control. We will carry out general surveys, monitoring and early warning, and impact assessment of invasive species, and strengthen quarantine of imported animals and plants and the prevention and control of invasive species. We will improve the system for the protection and utilization of germplasm resources, and strengthen the protection and management of biological genetic resources.

(15)Effectively respond to the adverse effects and risks of climate change. We will attach equal importance to mitigation and adaptation, and vigorously improve our ability to adapt to climate change. We will strengthen the development of a climate change observation network, and strengthen monitoring, forecasting, early warning, and impact risk assessment. We will continue to improve climate resilience in areas such as agriculture, health and public health, and strengthen climate risk management in infrastructure and major projects. We will deepen the development of climate-resilient cities, promote the development of sponge cities, and strengthen regional actions to adapt to climate change. By 2035, a climate-adapted society will be basically completed.

(16) Strict prevention and control of environmental risks.We will put prevention first and strengthen regular management of environmental risks. We will improve the national environmental emergency response system and mechanism, improve the environmental emergency response responsibility system with hierarchical responsibility, the local dependency and departmental coordination, and improve the upstream and downstream and cross-regional emergency response linkage mechanism. We will strengthen the investigation and prevention and control of environmental risks in key areas such as hazardous waste, tailings ponds, and heavy metals, as well as sea areas and border areas under our jurisdiction. We will carry out a number of basic capacity building projects for environmental emergency response, establish and improve an emergency response system and an emergency material reserve system, improve the information level of environmental emergency command, and timely, properly and scientifically handle all kinds of environmental emergencies. We will improve the environmental health monitoring, investigation, and risk assessment systems.

(17)Building a pilot zone for beautiful China.We will focus on coordinated development strategies among regions and major regional strategies, strengthen coordination in green development, and build a plateau for green development. We will improve the mechanism for coordinated ecological environment protection in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, speed up the development of demonstration zones for ecological environment restoration and improvement, and promote the development of the Xiongan New Area into a model for green development.In fully implementing the development strategy of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, we will work together to protect it and build a demonstration zone for green development in which man and nature coexist in harmony. We will deepen the convergence of rules and mechanisms in the ecological and environmental field of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to build a world-class beautiful bay area. We will deepen institutional innovation in co-protection and integration in the Yangtze River Delta region, and build a beautiful Yangtze River Delta at a high level. We will continue to build a pilot zone for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin by determining cities, land, people and production by water. We will deepen the development of national pilot zones for promoting ecological progress. Based on regional functional positioning, all regions give full play to their own characteristics, and write a chapter in the construction of a beautiful China.

(18)Building a beautiful city. We will continue to build people's cities and serve people's cities for the people, and promote the development of beautiful cities that are green, low-carbon, beautiful, livable, safe, healthy, smart and efficient. We will improve urban planning, development, and governance, carry out urban renewal initiatives, and strengthen inter-city and urban and rural ecological governance. We will accelerate the transformation of the development mode of megacities, improve the efficiency of improving the ecological environment in large and medium-sized cities, upgrade the capacity of environmental infrastructure in small and medium-sized cities and county towns, and improve the capacity of environmental public services with the population and economic scale. We will carry out assessments of urban ecological environment improvement.

(19)Building a beautiful countryside. According to local conditions, promote the experience of "ten million project", and promote the revitalization of rural ecology and the improvement of rural living environment. We will accelerate the integrated innovation and application of technologies for reducing the amount and increasing the efficiency of agricultural inputs, strengthen the resource utilization of agricultural waste and the classified disposal of waste agricultural film, and strengthen systematic treatment by focusing on areas with prominent pollution from agricultural non-point sources. We will make solid progress in the toilet revolution in rural areas, and effectively control domestic sewage, garbage, and black and odorous water bodies in rural areas. Establish a monitoring and evaluation system for the rural ecological environment. We will promote rural greening and beautification in a scientific way, and strengthen the protection and utilization of traditional villages and the guidance of rural features. By 2027, the total proportion of beautiful villages will reach 40%, and by 2035, beautiful villages will be basically completed.

(20)Carry out innovation demonstrations.We will take different policies to build beautiful cities, implement a campaign to build demonstration counties for beautiful villages, and continue to promote excellent cases of beautiful rivers, lakes and bays. We will promote the integration of a beautiful China into innovation in community-level governance. We will further promote demonstration projects for ecological progress, and promote the development of practice and innovation bases that clear waters and lush mountains are mountains of gold and silver. We will encourage green innovation in pilot free trade zones. We will support practical innovations in planning policies for building a beautiful China.

(21) Cultivating and promoting ecological culture. We will improve the ecological culture system based on ecological values, foster the mainstream values of ecological progress, and accelerate the formation of ecological awareness among the whole people. We will explore China's fine traditional ecological culture thoughts and resources, and launch a number of excellent works of ecological literature, so as to promote the prosperity and development of ecological culture. We will make full use of museums, exhibition halls, and science and education halls to publicize the vivid practice of building a beautiful China.

(22)Practice a green and low-carbon lifestyle. Advocate a simple, moderate, green, low-carbon, civilized and healthy lifestyle and consumption mode. We will develop green tourism. We will continue to promote the "CD Action" and resolutely stop food waste. We will encourage green travel, promote the development of urban greenways, and fully implement the strategy of giving priority t