China's State Council hosted an on-the-spot work conference on environmental protection for the Bohai Sea, a territorial sea in north China, on August 4.

On the day, Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan visited offshore rigs, aquatic farms, and waste-disposal zones, and heard reports on the issue by central and local government departments concerned and company leaders.

At the meeting, the vice premier stressed the importance of protecting and controlling pollution in Bohai and called for severely controlling the annual quantity of pollutants discharged into the sea area.

The polluted area in the Bohai Sea has been increasing due to the fast development of the coastal area, though the government has made enormous efforts to protect the environment in the sea area, said Zeng, who is also member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

He announced that the government will shut down a number of severely pollutive projects and punish a number of violators, to ensure that by 2010, not less than 85 percent of the sewage and 80 percent of wastes will be handled.

He urged offshore oil producers, shipping companies and ports in the area to prevent leakage of oil and disposal of wastes into the sea. All aquatic farms and coastal engineering projects should adopt environmental protection measures, he said.

China will set up nature reserves and a biological monitoring network in the Bohai Sea area and make greater efforts to monitor maritime environment in the area. He urged local governments and companies concerned to join hands in protecting environment in the area.

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2006)