South-west China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has vowed
that the development of the Beibu Gulf economic zone will not come
at the cost of its ecological resources and natural environment, as
they serve as the backbone of the area's sustainability.
In an interview on Wednesday, in Nanning, capital city of
Guangxi, Liang Bin, director of the provincial Environmental
Protection Bureau, told the China News Service that accelerated
development, increasing influx of migrant workers into the Beibu
Gulf area and the resulting rapid urbanization will inevitably put
ever greater pressure on the area's environmental and ecological
balance.
Liang said Guangxi will enhance the protection of the ecological
environment in the Beibu Gulf area and pre-empt industrial
pollution by setting strict standards for the construction of
enterprises in the development zone. He said priority will be given
to those large-scale enterprises that have the technological
know-how to deal with pollutants. Meanwhile, the provincial
government will enact policy measures to promote recycling and the
scientific lay-out of industries.
The official cited three of Guangxi's coastal cities as
representatives of the region's resolve to preserve its pristine
natural environment.
Qinzhou city, for example, celebrated for the rare hump-backed
dolphins found in the waters of Qinzhou Bay, will only give a green
light to projects that have passed a required environmental
protection assessment. In Qinzhou, PetroChina has won approval of
its oil-refining project, which has an annual capacity of 10
million tons. But it comes only after the project's waste water
drainage system was raised to the most stringent of levels.
In neighbouring Fangchenggang, the city's leadership has vowed
that not one single tree of its local mangrove forest will be
sacrificed for the sake of development projects. Similarly in
Beihai, the preservation of its famous beaches takes precedent over
development projects.
The Beibu Gulf Economic Zone covers six coastal cities along the
Beibu Gulf in Guangxi. It integrates the cities of Nanning, the
region's capital, Beihai, Qinzhou, Fangchenggang, Chongzuo and
Yulin.
During a recent inspection tour of Guangxi, China's top
political advisor Jia Qinglin, called for the sound and rapid
development of the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone. The senior Chinese
leader reiterated the need for building a "green economic zone" in
the Beibu Gulf area, to be achieved by enhancing environmental
protection, improving energy-saving measures and being frugal in
the utilization of land.
(CRIENGLISH.com June 7, 2007)
