An Eco-Friendly Economy in the New Era

Speaking at the National Conference on Eco-environmental Protection in May 2018, Xi Jinping called for an economy highlighting eco-friendly industries and industrialization of environmental protection activities, taking this as a key step in building an eco-civilization. This integrates economic development with environmental protection, and points out the right direction for eco-environmental progress.

Eco-friendly industries focus on eco-transformation of traditional industries in such areas as industrial distribution, structural adjustment, whole-life resource and environmental management, technological advances and innovation, and incentive and constraint mechanisms. Environmental awareness must permeate agriculture, industry and tertiary industry to make them all green.

Industrialization of environmental protection activities is based on ideas such as "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," "preserving the environment is to develop productive forces," and "green mountains will never fail the people who protect green mountains." This implies that the eco-environment is itself the economy, and industrial growth will benefit eco-environmental conservation. By turning environmental features into industrial strengths, and through market transaction, government purchase of eco-goods, and franchised operations, new ways will be explored to coordinate economic development and environmental protection for sustainable development based on different eco-resources.

新時代生態經濟體系

2018年5月，習近平在全國生態環境保護大會上提出，建立以產業生態化和生態產業化為主體的生態經濟體系，并以此作為生態文明體系構建的重要一環，進一步明確經濟發展和生態環境保護的辯證統一關系，為生態文明建設指明了方向。

產業生態化著眼于從產業布局、結構調整、全生命周期資源環境管理、技術進步與創新、激勵和約束機制等方面著力推進傳統產業的生態化轉型，以“農業、工業、服務業+生態”的模式，讓產業更綠、綠色產業更多。生態產業化秉承“綠水青山就是金山銀山”“保護生態環境就是保護生產力，改善生態環境就是發展生產力”“人不負青山，青山定不負人”的生態理念，明確生態本身就是經濟，用產業規律推動生態建設，將生態優勢變為產業優勢，通過直接市場交易、政府生態購買、特許經營等路徑，結合不同類型生態資源特點，探索發展經濟與保護環境相結合的新路，支撐永續發展。