China to launch strictest-ever land reclamation controls
By Gao Yun
["china"]
According to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) on Wednesday, China will prohibit business-oriented land reclamation activities and halt all reclamation projects that do not conform with relevant policies, launching the strictest-ever measures to control reclamation.  
The authority of local governments to approve land reclamation will also be abolished.
This came after a special inspection into the matter by the SOA, which has found serious problems in the approval, monitoring and purposes of reclamation.  
 The State Oceanic Administration held a press conference on Wednesday. /SOA Photo

 The State Oceanic Administration held a press conference on Wednesday. /SOA Photo

The administration will dismantle all structures on illegally-reclaimed lands and shut down illegally-set sewage outfalls that do severe harm to marine life. The vacant reclaimed lands will be nationalized.
Those reclamation projects which were approved but are yet to start and violate relevant policies will be terminated. Projects not for national welfare, key infrastructure or the livelihood of the people will not be approved. No reclamation will be allowed in the Bohai Sea.
Local authorities will no longer have the power to approve reclamation activities, and those for project approval and supervision who do not fully exercise their responsibility will be held accountable.  
The SOA also highlighted the importance of ecological remediation, sticking to the principle of “Who damages, restores.” The procedure of approval, review and inspection for reclamation projects will be strengthened.
 Lin Shanqing, deputy director of the State Oceanic Administration /VCG Photo

 Lin Shanqing, deputy director of the State Oceanic Administration /VCG Photo

China has highly valued marine ecology construction since 2013. Rehabilitation and remediation activities have been rolled out in the sea and coastal areas, and the control over reclamation has been enhanced, which accordingly contributed to a decreasing amount of national reclamation, said Lin Shanqing, deputy director of the SOA. The reclamation area in 2017 was 5,779 hectares, decreasing by 63 percent from that of 2013.
Land reclamation helps to ease the pressure of land shortages on the coastal regions. However, irregular and illegal reclamation activities have resulted in problems in the marine environment and marine development.
Inspectors from the SOA formed six teams and conducted the first batch of inspections in China’s coastal provinces in 2017 – Liaoning, Hebei, Jiangsu, Fujian, and the island province of Hainan as well as the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
They talked with 53 provincial leaders, handled 1,196 reports and complaints and dispatched planes, drones, ships and remote-sensing satellites to examine 756 projects. Over 800 complaints were ordered to make rectification and 262 cases were filed. One person was detained and 22 were held accountable. The penalties totaled over 1.24 billion yuan (about 192.7 million US dollars), said the SOA.
No reclamation will be allowed in the Bohai Sea. /Xinhua Photo

No reclamation will be allowed in the Bohai Sea. /Xinhua Photo

The government has also made great efforts in restoring coastal and island environments and promoting major rehabilitation projects concerning marine ecology, said Lin.
Over 260 kilometers of coastline have been restored and more than 4,100 hectares of coastal wetland have been rehabilitated since 2011. The government plans to significantly improve the quality of water in offshore areas by 2025, realizing the goal of “clear water, green coast, clean beach and nice gulf,” Lin added.