New Opportunities, Same Constraints: Environmental Protection and China's New Development Path
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9256.2008.00316.x |
| Published date | 01 May 2008 |
| Author | Thomas R. Johnson |
| Date | 01 May 2008 |
| Subject Matter | Research Article |
Research Article
New Opportunities, Same Constraints:
Environmental Protection and China’s
New Development Path
Thomas R. Johnson
University of Glasgow
Since coming to power in 2002, China’s ‘fourth generation’ leadership has attempted to steer the
country on to a new development path that emphasises environmental protection and resource
conservation. This article argues that this has opened up a window of opportunity for China’s State
Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), long perceived as a weak body, to expand its
influence and improve implementation of environmental policies. This article examines two recent
SEPA initiatives, green GDP and so-called ‘environmental storms’, to see to what extent SEPA has
been able to achieve these outcomes. It concludes that, although the profile of environmental issues
has risen as a result of these two initiatives, they also highlight the difficulties inherent in enforcing
better environmental standards in an authoritarian political system.
Introduction
Faced with a worsening environmental and resource crisis that is increasingly
impinging on the fundamental Chinese Communist party (CCP) goals of economic
growth and social stability (see for example Economy, 2004), since coming to power
in 2002 China’s current ‘fourth generation’ leadership has emphasised the need to
follow a more balanced path to development that affords greater priority to envi-
ronmental protection and resource efficiency. At the centre of this new develop-
ment path is the ‘Scientific Development Concept’ (SDC),1which was formally
written into the CCP Constitution at the 17th Party Congress in October 2007.
According to China’s president Hu Jintao, with whom the SDC is closely associated
(Fewsmith, 2004), the SDC aims to ‘[combine] the development of the economy
with the protection of resources and the environment’ as well as ‘[striving] to take
a civilised development path characterised by the development of production, a
well-off life, and a good ecological environment’ (ibid., p. 2). Commensurately, the
current 2006-11 Five-Year Guidelines2include the goals of reducing major pollut-
ants and energy intensity per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 10 per cent
and 20 per cent, respectively.
In order to be successful, the SDC must alter how local officials approach develop-
ment. In attempting to maximise GDP growth, which, maintaining social stability
aside, is the main indicator on which the performances of local cadres are judged
(Edin, 2003), local officials are often accused of pursuing ‘careless and unrestrained’
POLITICS: 2008 VOL 28(2), 93–102
© 2008 The Author.Journal compilation © 2008 Political Studies Association
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