PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT IN HAINAN, CHINA'S

UNCLAS GUANGZHOU 008842

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D COPY TEXT

PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ECON EIND PGOV SOCI CH
SUBJECT: PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT IN HAINAN, CHINA'S
ORIGINAL ECO-PROVINCE

REF: A. GUANGZHOU 6592

(U) THIS DOCUMENT IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE
PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. NOT FOR RELEASE OUTSIDE U.S.
GOVERNMENT CHANNELS. NOT FOR INTERNET PUBLICATION.


1. (U) Summary. According to Hainan officials, the
province's environmental quality is China's best. Largely
because of its efforts to attract increasing numbers of
tourists, Hainan realizes that a clean environment is an
asset that must be preserved. At the same time, the island
must balance its environmental concerns with its economic
growth, a particularly challenging task given Hainan's
desire to move away from its traditional reliance on
agriculture. So far the island has done so successfully,
but it may become a harder task as the number of factories
and tourists grows. End summary.


2. (U) On March 24, Consulate and Embassy officers met in
Haikou with officials from the Hainan Department of Land,
Environment and Resources (DLER),to inquire about the the
provincial government's plans to protect the island's
environment as Hainan continues to develop its manufacturing
and tourism industries (see REF A for a report on Hainan's
economy in 2005). In addition to Deputy Director He
Shaoqun, Deputy Division Chief Dr. Cheng Chunman and staff
member Wu Xiong were also present at the meeting.


3. (U) Deputy Director He began her presentation by
proclaiming that Hainan's environmental quality was "the
best in China." Taking a direct jab at our host cities of
Guangzhou and Beijing, she stressed that even in Haikou, the
province's largest city, one "can feel [the high quality of
the air]." Meanwhile, the surface and underground waters of
Hainan, as well as the ones that surround the island, are
relatively clean. Finally, Hainan's forest coverage is
"better than in any other province of China."


4. (U) According to He, the high quality of Hainan's
environment is not fortuitous. Since its establishment in
1989, Hainan's provincial government has paid much attention
to the island's environment and undertaken great efforts to
protect it. In Hainan, the environment is regarded as a
"productive force" and a "lifeline," and therefore the
"ideology" of environmental protection serves as a guide to
development. Rewarding these efforts, in 1999 the State
Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) designated
Hainan as China's first "ecological province." (Note:
Since that time, SEPA has designated eight more ecological
provinces. Bai Keming, Hainan's party secretary from 2001
to 2002, was influential in adopting the eco-province
strategy in Hebei, to where he was transferred after serving
in Hainan. End note)

Striking a balance
--------------


5. (U) Of course, environmental protection is not considered
in the abstract by Hainan's government. Rather,
environmental concerns are balanced with the island's
economic development. Since 2000, Hainan's GDP has been
growing at about 10% a year, helping raise incomes and
living standards in Hainan. The crux of Hainan's economic
growth strategy is in the development of its secondary and
tertiary sectors, lessening the island's traditional
reliance in agriculture (REF A). This has necessarily had
an effect on Hainan's environment, but its authorities try
to mitigate by postulating the "three don'ts": (1) Don't
pollute the environment; (2) Don't destroy natural
resources; and (3) Don't duplicate projects which in
practical terms means, don't set up factories in the
island's south and east, where tourists like to go. (Note:
Since some pollution and some destruction of natural
resources, however slight they may be, has to occur if an
industrial sector is to be developed, we can imply that (1)
and (2) mean "don't needlessly pollute or destroy." End
note)

The paradox of tourism
--------------


6. (U) Certainly, a good deal of Hainan's concern for the
environment stems from its desire to attract visitors in


increasing numbers. The island's government is very aware
that its environmental quality and natural resources are key
selling-points for tourists. For this reason, it
essentially corrals its factories in a few areas in the
island's west, far away from the beaches in Sanya and Boao,
and other tourist attractions. At the same time, tourism
itself can be a strain on the environment. The DLER
officials we met with are aware of this, and stressed that
the environmental impact of new developments is evaluated
before they are approved.


V S A LIVE MSG
Comment: Easy does it
--------------


7. (SBU) Tourism alone will not be enough for Hainan to
sustain 10% GDP growth, even if the number of visitors
continues to grow at a brisk rate. For this reason, the
province must continue to develop its industrial sector.
The strategy of containing factories and other fixed sources
of pollution to certain areas of the island works well in
its stated goal of protecting the premium spots, such as
Sanya. However, it still presents a problem to those living
close to the "sacrificed" areas. Moreover, as Hainan
continues to benefit from its industrialization, there might
be a temptation to expand its scope, freeing up more areas
for industrial build-up.


8. (SBU) Meanwhile, many beautiful spots elsewhere have been
all but ruined by mass tourism, and Hainan needs to keep
their experiences in mind. With rising incomes across the
country, the number of domestic visitors should continue to
grow. Meanwhile, the number of international visitors is
still relatively low, offering much growth potential. As
the tourists and their dollars (and yen, won and rubles)
begin to pour in, it may become hard for Hainan to stop the
flow in the name of its environment. The Hainanese would do
well to remember that, although the tourists leave after a
short stay, the Hainanese themselves stay behind, and stand
to lose the most from any environmental degradation.

DONG