Nanfang Daily, Nanfang Plus:

In recent years, China has continued to promote the construction of beautiful bays. What progress has been made so far? In this process, how have local governments adapted measures according to local conditions to better realize "bay-specific policies" and "respecting the distinctive beauty of bays"? What are your plans for the future? Thank you.

Guo Fang:

Thank you for your questions. I have just introduced the achievements of building beautiful bays. The building of beautiful bays is a priority in marine eco-environmental protection. Our work is progressing smoothly and has produced clear effects. We have mainly focused on three areas: first, is the top-level design of the "three five-year plans;" second, is the comprehensive governance of "bay-specific policies;" and third, is the leading role of innovation at the grassroots level.

First, the top-level design of the "three five-year plans." As we all know, the goal of environmental protection cannot be achieved overnight and requires long-term efforts. Starting with the 14th Five-Year Plan for Marine Ecological and Environmental Protection, we have adhered to the "three five-year plans" and strived to accomplish the building of 283 beautiful bays across China by 2035. At present, 11 coastal provinces (or autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the central government) have formulated provincial construction plans and implementation plans for 130 bays, drawing up layout plans and implementation systems for comprehensively promoting the construction of beautiful bays from the central to local governments.

Second, we have adopted comprehensive governance with bay-specific policies. Every bay construction project must address common issues such as nearshore pollution control, eco-environmental conservation and restoration, and environmental rectification of shores and beaches. These are topics the media also pays close attention to. However, we're mindful of potential homogenization during construction. To prevent this, we have adopted tailored policies for each bay, fostering unique strengths and characteristics based on natural endowments and local conditions. By the end of 2023, we had completed half of the 1,682 specific tasks set for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period. Nearly two-thirds are now completed, and the rest are in progress. In 2023, 167 out of 283 bays nationwide had over 85% of their seawater areas rated as excellent. Flagship species like Bryde's whales, Chinese white dolphins, and black-faced spoonbills frequently appear in multiple bays. These bay-specific policies have led to diverse beauty. Let me share some impressive examples. Zhangbei Bay in Rizhao, Shandong province, has built a 28-kilometer-long coastal greenway. Meanwhile, Beihai in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has restored 3.3 kilometers of beach, creating a beautiful silver landscape stretching for over three miles. You can try to find time to visit these places with your children during the summer vocation.

Third, we strongly encourage examples of innovation at the primary level, particularly in institutional, mechanism, and technological aspects. By selecting outstanding cases of beautiful bay construction, we have formed a series of excellent practices to be replicated in other parts of China. For example, Shenzhen's Dapeng Bay is home to over a dozen active green marine non-profit organizations that conduct coastline protection initiatives spanning tens of kilometers, inspiring the public to become participants and supervisors in beautiful bay construction. Tangshan Bay in Hebei province utilizes shellfish-algae reef ecosystem reconstruction technology, restoring 4,000 mu of seabed into a vibrant underwater landscape with oyster reefs, seagrass beds, and abundant marine life.

The Recommendations on Advancing the Beautiful China Initiative on All Fronts, issued by the Party Central Committee and the State Council at the end of last year, puts forward clear requirements and specific arrangements for building beautiful bays. Moving forward, we will earnestly implement these requirements. We will leverage continuously improved top-level design and increasingly effective primary-level practices to reinforce each other. This approach will drive the high-quality building of beautiful bays more effectively. Thank you!