China's State Council has formally approved the "10th Five-year Plan" for National Environmental Protection. The Plan includes the following main contents:

Grasp the pollution-control work in the valley of the "three rivers and lakes" (the Huaihe, Haihe and Liaohe rivers and Taihu, Dianchi and Chaohu lakes), the control areas of pollution by acid rain and sulfur dioxide, as well as in the Bohai Sea area and Beijing Municipality, come to firm grips with the water pollution in the Three Gorges areas and the regions along the South-to-North Water Diversion Project; further intensify efforts to prevent and control pollution to the macro-environment, speed up the elimination of backward production technology and equipment, shut down enterprises causing heavy pollution within a specified time, with the emphasis placed on comprehensively preventing pollution to water and atmosphere, and pollution caused by garbage and noise in key cities, earnestly strengthen ecological construction and protection and curb artificial damages.

We should see to it that by the year 2005, the volume of pollutants discharged should be reduced by 10 percent from 2000, the worsening tendency of the ecological environment be initially checked, urban and rural environmental quality, particularly the environmental quality of large and medium-sized cities will be improved.

(People's Daily January 9, 2002)