Distinguished Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,

　　In golden autumn in October, the best season of Beijing, we gather in Beijing from different parts of the world. We are here to discuss the most beautiful cause at this most beautiful season and contribute to the environment and development of China. As arranged by this Council, this meeting will provide recommendations for the environment and development issues related to the tenth five year plan. For this, we know that all the members of this Council must have made huge amounts of surveys, studies and preparation for the discussion and recommendation. I hope that this meeting will achieve positive results through exchange of views and discussion.

　　Distinguished members, it is very important to put the environment and development issues related to the formulation of the tenth fiveyear plan on the agenda of this meeting. This reflects a major progress in the scientific and democratic decision making process in the field of environment and development, since the policy of reform and opening to the outside world was adopted.

　　Since the 1970's, China has gradually incorporated environmental protection into the comprehensive decision making process for social and economic development. The master strategy for environment and development is being gradually enriched and improved. Up to now, we have developed the strategies such as two fundamental changes in the pattern of economic growth, the transition in the economic system, two major strategies of sustainable development and revitalizing the country with science, technology and education and the basic national policy of protecting the environment and the natural resources and ecology. All these strategies have been completely reflected while we formulated the ninth five year plan for social and development and the long term program for 2010. In the meantime, we have formulated and revised a large number of laws and regulations concerning the protection of environment and natural resources, and we are also intensifying the enforcement and upgrading the working level of enforcement.

　　To guide and coordinate the environment and development issues through inputs to the plan for social and economic development is an important tool for the Chinese government. This will help to exercise the macrolevel adjustment and make decisions on a comprehensive basis. In the past five decades, we have formulated nine five year plans. 

　　Among others, the first to the fifth fiveyear plans were formulated in the context of the planned economy. 

　　The sixth to ninth five year plans were formulated in the process of a transition from the planned economy to the socialist market economy. It was also a process to gradually incorporate environmental protection into the planning process.

　　In the sixth fiveyear plan, we gave consideration to the industrial pollution prevention and control. 

　　In the seventh fiveyear plan, some directives and policy measures were proposed for the main objectives and tasks of environmental protection and ecological conservation. The content of environmental protection in this plan became more and more complete.

　　In the eighth five-year plan, the environmental protection and the system of indicators were further improved. Since1992, the annual plan for environmental protection was added. 

　　The ninth five-year plan was the one that gave highest attention to incorporating the environmental protection into the national plan for social and development. In this plan, the master phasebyphase objectives for 2000 and 2010, the main tasks for environmental areas during this period and relevant economic policies were identified and incorporated into the plan and the program to ensure that the environmental objectives and tasks would be implemented. According to the ninth five-year plan, nearly 1600 projects were included in the plan for preventing and controlling the environmental pollution and achieving the environmental objectives. This required an investment of 450 billion yuan. In 1998 and 1999, the Chinese government identified environmental protection and ecological construction as an important part of the program for stimulating the domestic demands. In implementing this program, the ninth fiveyear environmental plan and the plan for pollution prevention and control in key river basins, regions and cities were important targets for increasing investment.

　　The tenth five-year planning will aim to implement the strategy of sustainable development on a comprehensive basis by better coordinating the population growth, the natural resources development, ecological construction, environmental protection and economic growth. It is also a mid or longterm plan for a new century, under a new situation and a new system. Therefore we have many favorable conditions as well as considerable difficulties for coordinating environment and economy. So we need to collect wisdom and views from various sides. There are many areas of environment and development and this meeting cannot cover everything, so we need to give priority to some key issues. We will draw upon the advanced methods of environmental planning of different countries, as well as their lessons in the field of environment and development in an effort to achieve the scientific and directive planning.

　　Some of our fellow colleagues from different departments are also present at this meeting. We hope that you will make best use of this opportunity to exchange views and have discussion so that you will have more input to our future planning.

　　Finally I wish complete success for this meeting. Thank you.