November 11 was the first anniversary of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutions (POPs) entering into force in China.

To protect the environment and public health, the Chinese Government actively participated in the negotiations and the formulation of the Stockholm Convention on POPs. In fact, China was among the first parties to sign it. In June 2004, the National People's Congress of China formally approved the convention.

Among all anthropogenic pollutants, POPs pose the greatest risks to human health. They can cause endocrine system disorder, impaired reproductive and immune systems, cancer, malformation, gene mutation, and neural diseases. These pollutants are capable of staying in human bodies for many generations, threatening the health and survival of human beings as well as the sustainable development of society.

Implementation of the Stockholm Convention will be pivotal in the fight against POPs. It involves a number of important departments and covers economic, ecological and social fields. It is thus a very difficult and challenging task.

Solutions to problems caused by POPs are closely linked to China's environmental protection, social and economic development. We not only need to improve existing laws and regulations and strengthen their enforcement, but also should transform our mindset and adopt innovative policies. Implementation of the convention is also part of China's efforts to realize the goal of establishing a harmonious society through a scientific development path that aims to enhance human welfare.

While its economy is developing rapidly, China also faces all kinds of environmental pollution problems, such as water pollution, acid rain and urban air pollution, which were experienced by developed countries during the industrialization process. Currently, the implementation of the Stockholm Convention, the phasing out and reduction of POPs encounter a number of challenges, including time constraints, a heavy task and a grave situation. To control POPs, meet the prevention goals, and protect the environment and public health, China will adopt decisive measures through participating in relevant activities through the Stockholm Convention.

In the past several years, China has carried out a lot of work for preventing POPs pollution. For instance, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) has conducted the survey of production, distribution, use, import and export, stockpile, obsolete waste and emission of pesticidal POPs since 1999.

We preliminarily understand the POPs situation in China, and proposed key sections for preventing and treating POPs in our country. Currently, the investigation is being completed, which will be conducive to the prevention work, and to build a solid foundation for proposing prevention and treatment countermeasures in China.

The development of the National Implementation Plan (NIP) is the country's other prevention measure. A series of strategic research are being carried out. The assessment for the current institutions, policies, regulations and infrastructure was so far conducted.

To mobilize all social power for the prevention of POPs, China established the NIP Leader's Group and Liaison Member Group led by the State Environmental Protection Administration of China and joined by 11 related ministries and commissions in 2003.

Still, it has become common understanding among the international community that problems caused by POPs can only be addressed through international co-operation. As the largest developing country, China is facing the dual challenges of both phasing out existing POPs and preventing pollution by new POPs. It is also faced with financial and technical constraints as well as the lack of experience in dealing with POPs. There is an urgent need to overcome these barriers through extensive international co-operation. China's Stockholm Convention implementation had been strongly supported by the international community. A preliminary convention implementation partnership was also formed.

Based on the current achievements, we look forward to more extensive exchanges and co-operation in order to further promote the implementation of the Stockholm Convention and create a harmonious future for humankind.

The author is Vice-Minister of the State Environmental Protection Administration of China