චීනයේ සාගර පරිසර පද්ධතිය ආරක්ෂණය ගැන ධවල පත්‍රිකාවක්

China makes quantum leap in marine ecological environment protection: official

China has made a quantum leap in marine ecological environmental protection and launched an array of campaigns to remove ocean waste from its bays, achieving a "zero unhealthy status" for typical marine ecosystems for three consecutive years since 2021, said Guo Fang, vice minister of ecology and environment at a press conference in Beijing.

The conference unveiled a white paper titled "Marine Eco-Environmental Protection in China" which offers a comprehensive overview of China's ideas, actions, and achievements in marine eco-environmental protection.

At the press conference, the vice minister said the efforts have prioritized well-being of people.

"China has always upheld the concept of ecology serving the people and ecology benefiting the people. We have codified and implemented the 14th Five-Year Plan for Marine Ecological and Environmental Protection and the action plan to expand and upgrade the 'beautiful bay' initiative. At present, we are focusing on forging over 110 beautiful bays and conducting mesh-style maritime garbage cleaning in 65 bays. Efforts are being made to promote the recycling of plastic waste in ocean," Guo said.

Targeted efforts have been made to improve the ecological environment of the offshore areas, Guo pointed out.

"According to statistics, in 2023, the area of offshore seawater with excellent water quality reached a historic high of 85 percent, up 13.7 percentage points compared to 2018, which marks a six-year consecutive growth. All of the country's 24 typical marine ecosystems are free from the unhealthy status since 2021," Guo said.

The vice minister also highlighted the legal support from the country's legislature towards marine protection.

"China has been protecting the ocean through the strictest systems and most rigorous legal measures. The Marine Environment Protection Law has been revised three times and amended once, while seven administrative regulations and more than ten departmental rules have been formulated or revised to establish a robust legal framework that safeguards the marine environment," she said.

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