In a significant move toward its ecological civilization goals, China’s State Council has formally approved three comprehensive action plans to establish pilot zones for the “Beautiful China” initiative across key economic regions. The approved frameworks target the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster, the Yangtze River Delta region, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for transformative environmental modernization.
Pei Xiaofei, spokesperson for the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, announced the plans at a Beijing press conference, emphasizing their alignment with China’s high-quality development objectives. “These action plans address fundamental constraints on ecological conservation while strengthening regional collaboration in green development,” Pei stated. The initiative seeks to overcome deep-seated environmental challenges through coordinated governance and innovative policy mechanisms.
Each region receives a tailored strategic approach. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei plan prioritizes air pollution control, climate adaptation, and creating a demonstration zone for simultaneous pollution reduction and carbon mitigation. The Yangtze River Delta framework emphasizes legal standardization, zoned ecological management, and intelligent governance systems to model how environmental protection can drive economic advancement.
The Greater Bay Area strategy uniquely leverages the “one country, two systems” principle to pioneer innovations in green finance and cross-border environmental cooperation. This approach aims to establish a modern ecological governance system while enhancing the region’s role as an economic driver with reduced environmental impact.
The ministry confirmed ongoing coordination with relevant departments to ensure effective implementation, with expectations that successful practices will become replicable models for national scaling. These pilot zones represent concrete progress toward China’s broader ecological civilization objectives, integrating environmental improvement with economic modernization.