No.140 March 1 , 2009   China's Environmental Policy:Its Effectiveness and Suggested Approaches for Japanese Companies   Hiroshi MATSUNO    In China's environmental policy, major transformations have been made from priority placed on economic development to equal emphasis placed on both environmental protection and economic development. These transformations constitute an important part of the Scientific Outlook on Development, which is one of China's national strategic theories. Governments and people throughout the world have been paying increased attention to environmental issues in China. In particular, with climate changes and natural disasters frequently occurring on a global scale in recent years, the entire world has been paying considerable attention to the environmental policy of China, a major world power.    In the 1990s, China made major strategic changes in its environmental policy. More precisely, the environmental policy was incorporated in the nation's strategy for growth. With the beginning of the Hu Jintao administration in the 21st century, China has embarked on a more comprehensive approach to its environmental policy. The social concept of a "recycling-based economy" was included in the policy in 2004 and that of a "resource-saving society" was included in 2005. These concepts have also been incorporated in a greater, overall policy framework. Changes have also been made in administrative measures from relying solely on control by the government to an integrated approach of legal, economic, technical and necessary administrative measures. Contents I China's Environmental Policy is Attracting a Great Deal of the World's Attention II Processes Used to Develop China's Environmental Policy III Characteristics and Effectiveness of China's Environmental Policies IV A Big Mountain of Important Environmental Issues V Areas of Pollution that Should be Addressed with International Cooperation VI Efforts to Facilitate China's Policies Offer Business Opportunities GO to PDF