Pingnan pushes green strategy

( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2013-05-29

Pingnan county, in Fujian province, has strengthened environmental protection in recent years to push its green development strategy.

Since 2011, the local stone industry has made headway in reducing discharge of waste water and improving recycle of waste materials to contribute to a clean environment. The sector is an example of the county’s green strategy. It has closed wood processing and stone enterprises for violation of environmental standards and forced local enterprises to increase their inputs in environmental protection.

Although the move will reduce tax revenues for the county, county authorities believe it is a worthy cost that will contribute to long-term sustainable development. Meanwhile, authorities have simplified approval procedures for green enterprises.

With a high level of forestation, the county has seen its tourism develop at a fast pace. In 2012, it attracted a total of 1.25 million tourists and received in 886 million yuan ($143 million) in tax revenues from the tourism industry. The proportion of the tertiary industry, which benefits greatly from tourism, has been on the rise in recent years.

Edited by Lin Hong and Michael Thai