Environmental NGO calls for close oversight of 4 trillion RMB stimulus funds
http://www.greenlaw.org.cn/blog/?p=741
During the 2009 NPC and CPPCC annual session, environmental NGOS expressed a high level of concern towards the Chinese government’s 4 trillion RMB stimulus plan, pointing out that the implementation of the economic stimulus should not sacrifice the long-term objectives of environmental protection and energy conservation.
On March 9, the Social Sciences Academic Press published the 2009 edition of their China Environmental Green Book, titled “Annual Report on Environmental Development of China (2009),” which consists of works and writings compiled by the Beijing-based environmental NGO Friends of Nature. At the same time, Li Bo, the director of Friends of Nature, called on NPC and CPPCC representatives to “closely follow the environmental oversight of the 4 trillion RMB investment funds as China strives to increase its economic competitiveness.”
Friends of Nature had also devoted a significant portion of their January 2009 “Friends of Nature Dispatch” magazine to the economic stimulus. In a lengthy article titled “the 4 Trillion RMB Stimulus and Sustainable Development,” the NGO featured commentary and proposals from well-known Chinese academics on the pressing topic.
While the toughest challenge may lie in monitoring the implementation of the stimulus funds, the call for vigilance issued by Friends of Nature has attracted both domestic and international media attention. Indeed, as Reuters’ English coverage of the announcement shows, concern that the stimulus funds may be used to invest in highly-polluting, high-energy industries is widespread in and outside of China. The Ministry of Environmental Protection responded two days later with a reaffirmation that stimulus funds would be closely monitored for proper use for their synergy with China’s environmental goals. According to Wu Xiaoqing, the Vice Minister of Environmental Protection, MEP has rejected or postponed 14 projects worth 104 billion RMB because they exceeded standards set for pollution discharge, energy use, and resource consumption.
The efforts of environmental groups are lining up with citizens concerned about other harmful effects caused by misuse of the funds, such as corruption or inefficiency. Public pressure undoubtedly led the National Development and Reform Commission to recently announce a formal information disclosure system for members of the public to seek details of the stimulus plan. Renowned Shanghai lawyer Yan Yiming has also been a force advocate for information disclosure, and he has filed several disclosure requests seeking release of all financial details of the stimulus plan. It will certainly be interesting in the coming months to see how public advocacy from environmental groups and other forces advances information disclosure and environmental protection at this critical juncture.
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