Fujian becomes testing ground for greener economy

Fujian province announced over the weekend that it has been designated China's first environmental protection pilot zone, which gives it the green light to test a series of measures aimed at energy efficiency, emissions reductions and government accountability.

The provincial government made the announcement on Saturday, citing a March 10 decision by the State Council.

The measures to be implemented include audits of officials to examine their efforts on and financial budgets for environment protection - even after officials leave their posts - and registering natural resources, such as bodies of water and forests, as intellectual property. The plan also includes economic measures that lead to the development of cleaner industries.

Fujian Governor Su Shulin said, "Governments at all levels in the province will strive to eliminate outdated industrial production modes and improve the environmental impact assessment of new projects."

Cao Heping, a professor of economics at Peking University, said heavy and energy-intensive industries are still major drivers of the economy across the nation.

"It is unsustainable," Cao said. "China really needs a pilot ecological civilization zone like Fujian to explore a new economic growth mode that will simultaneously maintain growth rates and not jeopardize the environment."

Cao added that Fujian was selected for the pilot zone because its air and water quality rank highest in the country.

"It's also because of the province's proximity to Taiwan, which is many years ahead of the mainland in terms of environmental protection, and could set a good example for Fujian," he said.

Cao said the pilot zone could also provide Fujian an advantage in attracting investments because the province is the ancestral home to many overseas Chinese businesspeople.

Huang Zhigang, director of Fuzhou University's Finance Research Institute, said the development of eco-friendly, low-consumption and high-tech industries in Fujian could set a path for the nation as it adjusts its economic structure.

He said Fujian will advance the preservation of the environment to a higher level and become a role model for other regions.

"Only with a good natural environment, will more talented foreigners come to China to invest, live and learn."

Fujian has focused on green development since 2000, when President Xi Jinping, who worked in the province at the time, proposed an "ecological province" strategy. As a result, Fujian became one of the first provinces to carry out economic measures that are environmentally friendly.

The province's forest coverage rate reached 65.95 percent in 2013, the highest in the country. The forest area has increased by 365,000 hectares from five years ago, according to the provincial government.

Contact the writer at sunli@chinadaily.com.cn

Peng Juan contributed to this story.