Daily Times

BEIJING: China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection has established a close cooperation mechanism with its counterparts in Pakistan so as to ensure that international standards with regard to the environment safety are duly complied with in implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

Director Li Xue from the Department of Air Environment Management General Office and Ma Muye from the Department of International Cooperation of the China’s Environmental Protection Ministry’s Division of Asia Affairs said while talking to a group of South Asian journalists currently attending a programme organised by the China Public Diplomacy Association close that bilateral cooperation with Pakistan was in process with regard to the pollution control and prevention of the environmental degradation in the work related to ‘one belt one road initiative.’

It was said to be in the larger interest of the peoples of the two countries as well as for the viability of the schemes that extreme care was taken for the protection of environment, in the areas concerned, with equal care towards safeguarding all relevant aspects including soil, air and water resources.

Director Bai Zhijun of the Environmental Protection Ministry, Lian Wei of the Division of Drinking Water Department of Environmental Management and Huang Yian representing China – ASEAN Environment Cooperation Centre were also present on the occasion. They said that the ministry was equally keen to enter into close cooperation with all the South Asian countries for joint efforts in controlling pollution and preventing possible harm to environment in the region.

The officials on the occasion also extensively discussed the series of measures being implemented for the prevention of air pollution as well as safety of water resources in China. Dispelling the impression that these were adopted owing to any external pressure, they said the Government of China was absolutely committed towards the health security of its people.

For this purpose, five-year action plan for prevention of air pollution (2013-2017) and another 15 year prevention of water pollution (2015-2030) had been formulated on the basis of World Health Organisation recommendations as well as those of other reputable international agencies.

In reply to a question, they said that the local governments scattered across more than 30 provinces of the country along with the autonomous regions and so-forth were also part of the efforts and a stringent policy had been adopted for the optimum possible compliance of the two action plans.

They said that an innovation had also been adopted for meaningful enforcement of the action plans and for the purpose, the local as well as the national media had been actively involved along with other stakeholders including the residents of the concerned areas.

“We share reports of assessments, conducted on regular basis, with the media and hence a pressure is put on the implementers as well as violators of the law,” said the officials mentioning that consequently a significant decline has been registered in the pollution levels in different parts of the country.