Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in the government work report that China will stay true to the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, strengthen the conservation of mountain, river, forest, farmland, lake, and grassland ecosystems, move faster to build major ecological shields, and develop a national park-based nature reserve system.

The key tasks for 2021 in the report also mentioned that China will continue to carry out large-scale land greening actions and push forward with ecosystem protection and restoration so that our homeland has more clear waters and blue skies.

Green transformation

Green is the most beautiful background color for economic and social development. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Chongqing will unswervingly implement the new development principles, actively explore the new path of ecology prioritization and green development, focus on accelerating the construction of a beautiful place with lush mountains and lucid waters, continue to build the major ecological shield in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, speed up the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, and build a modern society with harmonious coexistence of people and nature, and strive to write a new chapter of high-quality development.

Pollution prevention and control

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the city has achieved all the nine binding targets set for evaluating the environmental protection work. By the end of 2020, the water quality in the Chongqing section of the mainstream of the Yangtze River was excellent. In 2020, there were 333 days with good or excellent air quality, and the level of all the six atmospheric pollutants for evaluating air quality met the standards for the first time.

From this year, the national environmental quality monitoring and evaluation system have been greatly adjusted. The number of air quality monitoring points in the city has been increased from 16 in the central urban area to 35 in 26 districts, and the number of surface water environmental quality monitoring sections has been increased from 42 to 74. This means that compared with the 13th Five-Year Plan period, it will be harder for the city to achieve the targets and accomplish the tasks concerning environmental quality in the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

Xin Shijie, director of the Chongqing Ecology and Environment Bureau, said that the city will take multiple measures at the same time, focus more on the precise, scientific, and law-based pollution control, fight the tough battle of pollution prevention and control, realize the synergistic effect of pollution control and carbon reduction, and strive to play a demonstration role in promoting the green development of the Yangtze Economic Belt.

High-quality development

"The government work report mentions that we will expedite the transition of China’s growth model to one of green development, and promote high-quality economic growth and high-standard environmental protection. This has strengthened our determination and confidence to continuously optimize the industrial structure and promote the development of high-tech and strategic emerging industries," said Xin Guorong, Secretary of the Communist Party of China Banan District Committee.

Xin added that this year, Banan District will firmly seize the opportunities brought by the 14th Five-Year Plan and the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, accelerate the pace of green transformation, move faster to build a modern industrial system, form an industrial innovation ecosystem, and further enhance the momentum of high-quality economic development.