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DE RUEHGZ #8842/01 0880536
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (CCY ADADCEDD MSI7033-695)
R 290536Z MAR 06 ZDS
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2257
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHDC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
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RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI

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