Full text record丨The State Council Information Office held a press conference on the white paper "China's Marine Ecological Environmental Protection"

Xing Huina, Deputy Director and Spokesperson of the Information Bureau of the State Council Information Office:

Ladies and gentlemen, this morning good! Welcome to the press conference of the State Council Information Office.

Today, the Information Office of the State Council of China released the white paper "China's Marine Ecological Environmental Protection" and held a press conference to introduce and interpret the main contents of the white paper.

The white paper is guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implements Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, systematically introduces China’s policy concepts for building a harmonious marine ecological environment for humans and seas, and comprehensively elaborates on China’s overall planning It is an important measure to promote the protection of the marine ecological environment, systematically carry out marine ecological environment governance, and improve the level of marine green and low-carbon development. It demonstrates China's practical actions and world contribution to extensively carry out international cooperation in marine ecological environment protection and promote the construction of a community with a shared future for the ocean. It calls on all countries to jointly Protect the marine ecological environment, promote sustainable development of the ocean, and jointly build a cleaner and more beautiful world.

The white paper consists of three parts: the preface, the main body and the conclusion, with a total of about 27,000 words. Among them, the main text contains 7 parts, namely: 1. Building a harmonious marine ecological environment between humans and seas; 2. Coordinating the promotion of marine ecological environment protection; 3. Systematic management of the marine ecological environment; 4. Scientifically carrying out marine ecological protection and restoration; 5. . Strengthen the supervision and management of marine ecological environment; 6. Improve the level of marine green and low-carbon development; 7. Carry out all-round international cooperation in marine ecological and environmental protection.

The white paper is published in 8 languages, including Chinese, English, French, Russian, German, Spanish, Arabic and Japanese. It is published by the People's Publishing House and the Foreign Languages ​​Publishing House respectively, and is distributed in Xinhua Bookstores nationwide. .

In order to help everyone better understand the relevant contents of the white paper, we invited Mr. Sun Shuxian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Director of the State Oceanic Administration, and Guo Fang, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment to today’s press conference Madam, please introduce the relevant situation to everyone and answer your questions.

First of all, please introduce the situation to Mr. Sun Shuxian.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, NationalSun Shuxian, Director of the National Oceanic Administration:

Dear journalist friends, ladies and gentlemen, good morning! I am very happy to witness the release of the white paper "China's Marine Ecological Environment Protection" with everyone today. First of all, I would like to thank everyone for your concern and support for marine ecological environment protection.

The white paper "China's Marine Ecological Environment Protection" systematically elaborates on the concepts, practices and achievements of China's marine ecological environment protection. We hope that the release of the white paper will encourage people from all walks of life and the international community to have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of China's marine ecological and environmental protection undertakings, and further strengthen exchanges and cooperation.

Dear friends, the ocean is a treasure house of natural resources and a strategic location for high-quality development. Currently, global ocean security, development, and governance are facing a series of outstanding challenges. China has always actively promoted the global ocean governance process and is a staunch promoter and active actor of marine ecological and environmental protection.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "we must care for the ocean as we care for life." Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the guidance of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Ecological Civilization, China has carried out a series of fundamental, pioneering and long-term work in the field of marine ecological and environmental protection, promoting historic, turning and overall progress in marine ecological and environmental protection. It has made a series of landmark achievements and embarked on a path of harmony among people with Chinese characteristics.

First, the concept of marine ecological environment protection is innovated while maintaining integrity. We adhere to the priority of ecology, deepen the objective understanding of the natural laws of the ocean, and incorporate the construction of marine ecological civilization into the overall layout of ocean development; we adhere to the overall planning of land and sea, linkage of rivers and seas, and systematic governance, realizing policies from single elements to overall implementation, and from end-to-end Governance to the transformation of full-chain management; we adhere to science and technology guidance, diversified co-governance, national participation, and win-win cooperation, improve comprehensive governance capabilities from multiple angles and all-round, and a group of beautiful China construction and people like "Xiamen Practice" have emerged. It is a model of maritime harmony and vividly demonstrates the taking root of China’s ecological civilization ideas.

Second, the practice of marine ecological environment protection is advancing in exploration. China took the lead in proposing and delineating ecological protection red lines, improving the marine protected area system, and implementing major projects for marine ecological protection and restoration. The diversity, stability, and sustainability of the ecosystem have been significantly enhanced. China's maritime management model has also shifted from "flat" to "three-dimensional". Technology for the development and utilization of marine renewable energy has developed rapidly, and the level of conservation and intensive utilization of marine resources has greatly improved. China continues to improve its laws, regulations and institutional systems, and comprehensively utilizes land, sea, air, space and other comprehensiveMonitor and supervise means to promote marine ecological early warning and monitoring, improve marine disaster prevention and reduction capabilities, and build a safety barrier for marine ecology.

The third is to build a consensus on marine ecological environment protection with other countries around the world. Since 2012, we have submitted more than 800 proposals of various types to international organizations, actively participated in the formulation of international rules on environmental protection, resource conservation, etc., signed cooperation agreements with more than 50 countries and international organizations to jointly build the "Belt and Road", and closely aligned with the United Nations. With major cooperation initiatives such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the United Nations "Ocean Decade", the "Blue Partnership" cooperation has become more dynamic; we have carried out extensive foreign assistance and training to contribute wisdom and strength to properly respond to global marine ecological and environmental challenges.

Dear friends, this blue planet we live on is the common home of mankind. All mankind is a community with a shared future that shares weal and woe and shares weal and woe. China is willing to work with the international community to build a marine ecology. The foundation of civilization, let’s take the road of marine green development together.

I will briefly introduce this much first. Thank you all!

　Xing Huina:

　Thank you, Minister Sun. Now I would like to ask Ms. Guo Fang to introduce the situation.

Guo Fang, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the press, good morning. ! I am very happy to meet you all here. First of all, on behalf of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to friends from all walks of life who have long cared about and supported China's marine ecological and environmental protection.

As Minister Sun said just now, General Secretary Xi Jinping cares deeply about and has high hopes for the construction of marine ecological civilization and the protection of marine ecological environment. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the guidance of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Ecological Civilization, China’s marine ecological environment protection has undergone unprecedented major changes, which are mainly reflected in four persistences:

We adhere to the systemic concept , the reform of the land and sea coordination system and mechanism continues to deepen. China is building a large-scale protection and governance pattern from mountain tops to oceans, and reforms in the maritime field continue to advance, especially in the institutional reform in 2018. The responsibilities of marine environmental protection were integrated into the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and three river basin and sea area ecological environment supervision and management agencies were established. It has opened up land and sea, connected ecology and environment, and built a comprehensive management system that coordinates land and sea and links rivers and seas. Cooperation between departments has become stronger and coordination between regions has become smoother.

We insist on putting people first, and the achievements of beautiful bay construction have been continuously demonstrated. China has always adhered to the concept of ecology for the people and ecology benefiting the people, and has compiled and implemented the "14th Five-Year Plan for Marine Ecological Environment Protection Plan" and "Action Plan for the Construction and Improvement of Beautiful Bays". Currently, it is focusing on building more than 110 beautiful bays, and in 65 The bay is carrying out marine debris clean-up work like a dragnet to promote the recycling of marine plastic waste.

Today, I also brought a small object to all my journalist friends. This beautiful silk scarf is actually made of three discarded plastic bottles. These plastic bottles are from Public beach cleanup operation in Nansha District, Guangzhou. We strive to turn all 283 bays across the country into beautiful bays by 2035, so that the beautiful vision of "clear water and clean beaches, gathering of fish and gulls, and harmonious sea of ​​people" depicted on this silk scarf can become a reality.

We persist in focusing on key issues and the quality of the ecological environment in coastal waters continues to improve. China has always paid close attention to the strategic intersections of coastal areas such as the Bohai Sea, the Yangtze River Estuary-Hangzhou Bay, and the Pearl River Estuary, implemented key governance, fought several successful battles, and achieved a major transformation in the quality of the ecological environment from stabilization to improvement to significant improvement. According to statistics, in 2023, the area of ​​​​good water quality in offshore waters reached a record high of 85%, an increase of 13.7 percentage points from 2018, and achieved "six consecutive years of growth"; 24 typical marine ecosystems have been eliminated since 2021 An "unhealthy" state.

We insist on governing the sea in accordance with the law, and supervision and law enforcement of the marine ecological environment have been continuously strengthened. China has always protected the oceans with the strictest system and strictest rule of law. It has revised the Marine Environmental Protection Law three times and once, formulated and revised 7 administrative regulations and more than 10 departmental rules, forming a strong legal guarantee. We have always adhered to strict supervision and law enforcement, and have inspected more than 53,000 sewage outlets entering and leaving the sea, and completed remediation of more than 16,000. We have continued to carry out the "Green Shield" and "Blue Sea" special regulatory and law enforcement actions, and implemented three rounds of central environmental protection inspections. During this period, more than 200 prominent sea-related issues were discovered and rectified.

Through unremitting persistence, everyone can feel that in recent years, the sea water has become clearer, the beaches have become cleaner, there are more seabirds, and the coastal wetlands have become more beautiful. The continuous improvement of the marine ecological environment is a vivid portrayal and powerful evidence of the historic, turning and overall changes in China's ecological environment protection. In the next step, we will continue to promote the comprehensive management of key sea areas, comprehensively promote the construction of beautiful bays, and continue to meet the people's needs for enjoying and being close to the sea.

"We know each other no matter how far we are, but we are still neighbors thousands of miles away." I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely invite friends from home and abroad to take a walk around the coast and appreciate together the excellent environment, ecological beauty, and governance effectiveness of the China Gulf. We are also willing to work with other countries to communicate, learn from each other, and engage in pragmatic cooperation. Let’s work together to build a community with a shared future for the oceans and keep the blue planet clear forever.

I will introduce this much first, thank you.

　Xing Huina:

Thank you, Minister Guo, for your introduction. Now comes the Q&A session. Friends from the media are welcome to ask questions. Please inform your news organization before asking questions.

CCTV reporter:We know that China has many typical marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds. In recent years, what have we done? What measures have been taken to protect and restore typical marine ecosystems, and how will the existing protection results be consolidated in the future? Thanks.

　Sun Shuxian:

　Thank you for your question. Marine ecosystems provide many aspects of ecological services for our survival, production, and life. In recent years, the Ministry of Natural Resources has adhered to the concepts of respecting nature, complying with nature, and protecting nature, vigorously carried out the protection and restoration of typical marine ecosystems, and strived to improve the diversity, stability, and sustainability of the ecosystem. The work is mainly carried out in the following aspects:

In terms of current status survey, in 2020, we completed the current status survey of typical ecosystems such as coral reefs, seagrass beds, and coastal salt marshes across the country, and basically understood The distribution and ecological status of various typical ecosystems were analyzed, and outstanding ecological problems and major threats and risks were identified.

In terms of early warning monitoring, ecological early warning monitoring is carried out regularly in key areas and early warning products are released, providing a basic basis for marine ecological protection and restoration.

In terms of ecological assessment, we regularly carry out typical ecosystem status assessments. In June this year, some media friends may have also noticed that in June we issued the "China Marine Ecological Early Warning and Monitoring Bulletin" for the first time. 》, monitoring results show that the overall conditions of coral reefs, seagrass beds, coastal salt marshes, and mangrove ecosystems are mainly excellent.

In terms of ecosystem protection, the vast majority of typical marine ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds have been included in the ecological protection red line, and strict protection has been implemented.Gradually remove man-made activities that do not meet management and control requirements and have a serious impact on the structure and function of the ecosystem.

In terms of ecosystem restoration, we have actively mobilized central funds and local fiscal funds to carry out the protection and restoration of degraded and damaged typical marine ecosystems, and restore the ecosystem and its service functions.

In the next step, we will take multiple measures to continue to strengthen the protection and restoration of typical ecosystems: first, grasp dynamic changes, continue to strengthen the investigation and assessment of the current situation of typical marine ecosystems, and gradually improve continuous observation Monitoring and early warning monitoring. The second is to strengthen protection and management, strictly implement the ecological protection red line system, combine regular physical examinations and "five-year assessments" of territorial spatial planning, timely supplement other typical ecosystem distribution areas, and at the same time strengthen the management and control of sea and island use for typical ecosystem projects. The third is to scientifically implement protection and restoration, improve the scientific nature of protection and restoration through classified policies, enhance scientific and technological support capabilities, and strengthen full-process tracking and monitoring, effect evaluation and post-management and maintenance to ensure the effectiveness of restoration. In addition, we will actively explore and promote the realization of the value of ecological products, pilot the value accounting of ecological products, encourage social capital to participate in the protection and restoration of typical marine ecosystems, and form a social atmosphere of joint construction and sharing.

Thank you!

Reporter from China News Service: The white paper introduces the relevant situation of China’s legal construction of marine ecological and environmental protection. I would like to know what work China has carried out in building the rule of law in the marine ecological environment? How to protect the marine ecological environment through the rule of law? Thanks.

　Guo Fang:

Thank you for your question. A good ecological environment must be guaranteed by the rule of law. We often say that we must control pollution accurately, scientifically, and in accordance with the law. Controlling pollution in accordance with the law is the core concept of China's ecological and environmental protection. It means adhering to laws and regulations, strict supervision, and protecting the ocean with the strictest system and the strictest rule of law. . Regarding the issue you are concerned about just now, I would like to give a brief introduction from two aspects: legislation and law enforcement.

First of all, in terms of legislation, China has formulated a comprehensive law on marine ecological environment protection, which is the Marine Environmental Protection Law. Since 2012, there have been 3 revisions and 1 revision. In particular, the newly revised Marine Environment Protection Law last year was revised from the original ten chapters and 97 articles to nine chapters and 124 articles, with 27 additional articles. Only 8 of them have not been revised. There are many institutional innovations and pragmatic measures. , for example, taking the coordination of land and sea as the principle of marine ecological environment protection, focusing on marine garbage control, supervision of sewage outlets into the sea,Detailed regulations have been made on the prevention and control of pollution in rivers entering the sea, and penalties have been added, the intensity of penalties has been increased, and penalty calculation methods and punishment methods have been enriched.

The "Wetland Protection Law", "Fisheries Law" and "Coast Police Law" respectively make clear provisions on the protection of coastal wetlands, marine fishery resources and marine environmental law enforcement.

Not only at the national level, but also at the local level along the coast, local legislation is also being actively carried out. For example, Hainan Province has issued regulations on the protection of coral reef clams, and Xiamen City has issued regulations on the population and habitat of Chinese white dolphins. The effect of the protection regulations is obvious. The population of Chinese white dolphins has increased from 60 in the early 1990s to nearly 80 now. It is said that Xiamen citizens can see Chinese white dolphins in the central city.

In terms of law enforcement, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the China Coast Guard and other departments have established a regulatory and law enforcement mechanism. On the basis of regular inspections and law enforcement, they jointly carry out "Green Shield" and "Blue Sea" special supervision Enforcement Actions. From 2020 to 2022, a total of more than 19,000 inspections of marine projects, oil platforms, islands, and dumping areas were conducted, and more than 360 cases of illegal sea reclamation, illegal dumping, and island destruction were investigated and dealt with, severely cracking down on key areas of marine ecological and environmental protection. illegal and criminal activities in the field.

In the next step, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will continue to cooperate with the legislative body in the compilation of the "Ecological and Environmental Code", improve the marine ecological environment legal system, and use the power of the rule of law to protect the marine ecological environment. Thanks!

Nanfang Daily Nanfang+ Reporter: In recent years, China has continued to promote the construction of beautiful bays. What is the current progress and results? In this process, how to promote local governments to adapt measures to local conditions and better realize "one policy for one bay" and "each has its own advantages"? What are the next steps to consider? Thanks.

　Guo Fang:

Thank you to this reporter for your question. I just showed you the results of the beautiful bay construction. The construction of Beautiful Bay is an important starting point for the protection of the marine ecological environment. Our current progress is still very smooth, and the effect is very obvious. We mainly do three things: one is the "three-five-year" top-level design; Comprehensive management of "one bay, one policy"; and "demonstration and leadership" of grassroots innovation.

The first is the "three"Five-year" top-level design. As we all know, environmental protection does not happen overnight and requires long-term efforts. We started from the "14th Five-Year Plan" marine ecological environment protection plan and persisted in the "Three Five-Year Plan" to continue to advance and strive to reach 2035. 283 bays across the country can be built into beautiful bays. Currently, 11 coastal provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) across the country have formulated provincial construction plans and implementation plans for 130 specific bays, forming a comprehensive promotion of beautiful bays from the central to local levels. The planning layout and implementation system of bay construction. The second is the "one bay, one policy" comprehensive management of common issues, such as pollution prevention and control of coastal waters and the restoration of marine ecology. Restoration, as well as beach cleanliness and other issues that the media are also paying attention to, must be done in every bay construction. But at the same time, we are also worried that during the construction process, the "hundred bay side" that we will eventually do will still need to be "done." "One Bay, One Policy" has formed our unique advantages and characteristics. Therefore, "One Bay, One Policy" requires that each bay must combine its own endowments and adapt to local conditions. By the end of 2023, the 1682 targets determined during our "14th Five-Year Plan" period 1/2 of this specific task measure has been completed, and nearly 2/3 has been completed so far, and the rest is in progress. In 2023, 167 of the country's 283 bays will have more than 85% of the seawater area in good quality, and Bryde's whales will be protected. Flagship species such as dolphins, Chinese white dolphins, and black-faced spoonbills frequently appear in many bays. The "one bay, one policy" has indeed created "each has its own beauty." Let me introduce the most impressive one created by Zhangbei Bay in Rizhao, Shandong. There are 28 kilometers of Sunshine Coast Greenway, and 3.3 kilometers of restored beaches in Beihai, Guangxi, forming a beautiful "silver beach" that stretches for ten miles. I think my reporter friends today are very young, and they can take their children to visit these places when they are on summer vacation. Take a look.

Third, we strongly encourage “demonstration leadership” of grassroots innovation, especially institutional innovation, mechanism innovation, and technological innovation, and a group of outstanding cases of beautiful bay construction have been formed. Good experiences and practices that can be replicated and promoted. For example, in Dapeng Bay, Shenzhen, there are more than ten green and environmentally friendly marine public welfare organizations active all year round, carrying out hundreds of miles of coastline protection actions, and driving the public to become participants and supervisors in the construction of beautiful bays. . In Tangshan Bay, Hebei, the kelp reef ecosystem reconstruction technology has been used to recreate the 4,000-acre seabed with mountains of oysters, forests of algae, ginseng and shells, and fish and shrimps interacting with each other.