Mr. Chairman, Respected Members,
I am very pleased to have the opportunity of attending the fifth meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCIC ED). To earnestly implement international conventions and to strengthen environmental protection are the common duties of all the parties to the conventions, including China. For all these yeas, much attention has been devoted to environmental protection and great effort has been made by our government. Today, please allow me to introduce to the meeting how China is implementing international conventions in the field of environmental protection so as to promote your understanding of the situation. I hope this will help to attract attention to and support for China's implementation of the conventions.
1. Concerning the implementation of Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal:
a. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress adopted the Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes on October 31, 1995, which came into effect on April 1, 1996. The law provides rules on importing and passing wastes through the territory of a country and imposes tough penalties on the illegal acts.
b. The General Office of the State Council published the Emergency Announcement on Strictly Controlling the Transboundary Movement of Wastes to China on November 17, 1995. It is clearly stated in the Announcement that the import of wastes is subject to the approval of China's National Environmental Protection Agency. Neither local governments nor departments have the right to approve the import of wastes.
c. The National Environmental Protection Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, the General Customs Administration, the State Industry and Commerce Administration, and the State Bureau of Commodity Inspection jointly issued the Provisional Regulations on Environmental Protection and Management of Imported Wastes on March 1, 1996, which contains the inventory of wastes that are restricted by the country and can be used as raw materials. The document also stipulates the examination and approval procedure for imported wastes and the responsibilities of every department concerned.
d. The investigation and punishment of the illegal import of wastes. Some governments failed to examine their out-going wastes, as stipulated in the Basel Convention. Neither did they ask for the approval of the administrative authorities, namely China's National Environmental Protection Agency, before transferring into China various municipal and hazardous wastes prohibited for import by the Chinese government. Some foreign companies have illegally exported such wastes to China under the name of waste materials; some unlawful elements within certain newly organized Chinese companies avoided government supervision and imported waste s by illegal means. The Chinese government has punished all these illegal acts in accordance with the law. Some companies have already been ordered to return the wastes, while other cases are still being dealt with.
e. In accordance with the provisions for notification on the export of wastes in the Basel Convention, and the legal requirements of other countries, China always seeks opinions from the authoritative departments for import and export in the country concerned beforehand. Only when the other country approves, can China permit the export of wastes. This is how China contracts its export of used polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) and slag.
f. The National Environmental Protection Agency, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Basel Convention, convened The First Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting for Establishing Regional Centers for Training and Technology Transfer for the Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous Wastes on July 9-11, 1996. This meeting prepared for the establishment of such a regional center in the Asia-Pacific region.
2. Concerning the implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer:
a. A Strategy on Eliminating and Reducing Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was made in 1995 for eight industrial product lines such as aerosols, foamed plastics, cleaning items, fire fighting products, refrigerators, industrial and commercial refrigeration, air conditioning in cars, and chemical industrial production.
b. September 16, 1995 was the first International Ozone Layer Protection Day. In order to answer the United Nations' call for participation and increased public awareness, we organised a series of activities for publicity and education.
c. The CFC-11 elimination project in the plastic foam production of the Huajiang Plastics Factory in Zhejiang Province, and the CFC-11 50 % elimination project in the polyurethane foam production plant of the Chengde Commercial Machinery Factory, have been examined and approved.
d. China and UNEP co-organized the CFC Substitute Safety Technology Training Course in Hangzhou in May, 1996. Over one hundred representatives from concerned ministries, commissions, regions and enterprises participated in the course.
e. On-time reporting to the international community on China's implementation pr ogress. In March, 1996, China submitted to the executive committee of the multilateral fund the report on the progress of the implementation of the national program. In August, 1996, China submitted to the Secretariat of the Montreal Protocol various data on the production and consumption of substances under control in China.
f. The Chinese government delegation participated in the Seventh Meeting of the Conference of Parties held in Vienna in November, 1995.
g. The Chinese government delegation attended the 18th and 19th meetings of the executive committee of the multilateral fund held in November, 1995 and May, 1996. These two meetings endorsed twenty-five projects for China with a total fund of 1.7 million US $.
h. Over thirty projects have been organised and prepared for such industrial lines as refrigerators, industrial and commercial refrigeration, foams, cleaning solvents, and others. China plans to submit some of them to the First Executive Committee for examination and approval in October, 1996 and others in 1997. The total amount committed is about fifty million US $.
i. China assisted the UNEP in convening a UNEP Environmental Impact Workshop in China, in which the latest scientific discovery on the environmental impact of ozone depletion was discussed.
j. With the support of UNEP, China is now investigating the production and use of ODS moved to China form developed countries.
k. China has completed research on the elimination of the production and use of Halon, and has made an overall Halon elimination plan for fire fighting. The plan has been adopted in principle by the national leading group for the protection of the ozone layer, and will be submitted to the executive committee in October for examination and approval.
3. On the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity:
a. The Chinese government delegation attended the second meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Jakarta, at which time China's work, policies, and law on the protection of biological diversity were introduced. China also set forth its principles on major issues in the implementation of international conventions and safeguarded the rights and interest s of China and the developing countries.
b. With the support of UNEP, the National Study on Biological Diversity started in early 1995, and its first draft has now been completed. Two national and international workshops have been organised. Its work is expected to be completed by the end of 1996. The accomplishments of the National Study will play a positive role in the understanding of the basic situation and conditions of biological diversity in China, in the benefit analysis of biodiversity, and in strengthening the protection and sustained utilisation of biodiversity.
c. The China National Environmental Protection Agency is now implementing, jointly with ministries and commissions concerned, a capacity building project for the information network on the management of biodiversity data in China. The project started at the end of 1995 and will be completed by the beginning of 1997. Its implementation will greatly strengthen China's capacity in this field.
4. On the implementation of the London Guidelines for the Exchange of Information on Chemicals in International Trade:
a. According to the procedure in PIC and stipulations on the environmental management of the import and export of chemicals in China, the National Environmental Protection Agency has received over two hundred registration applications for the environmental management of the import and export of toxic chemicals. It has examined, approved, and implemented the advance information notification procedure in accordance with the stipulations.
b. In order to implement the London Guidelines and to act in the spirit of the International Conference on Chemical Safety, China has established the National Archives for the Management of Chemicals.
c. China has participated in the activities of the intergovernmental negotiation committee on upgrading voluntary PIC procedures to documents with legal binding force, co-convened by UNE and FAO.
d. China has participated in the activities of the Forum on the Safety of Chemicals and has actively promoted the assessment of persistent organic pollution and the operations for eliminating organic pollution.
Concerning the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Principled Declaration on Forests, other ministries have already made presentations at the meeting.
The preceding comments are just an introduction to China's implementation of international conventions on environmental protection. We are active, serious, and conscientious in implementing these conventions. Although these is still a lot of work to do before the goals of the conventions are achieved, we are willing to make continuing efforts. We welcome suggestions and recommendations from all members and experts present.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman!
Thank you all!