Tackling the Environment: Xi Jinping and the Pursuit of a ‘Beautiful China’

Abstract

Focus of the article is the pursuit by President Xi Jinping (2013–2021) of an aggressive policy of environmental protection and preservation with the ambitious goal of creating a ‘beautiful China’. Article begins with a summary of the rise to national leadership by Xi Jinping from a local and provincial leader to national prominence, and then examines the creation of central and local bureaucracies for policy implementation on the environment along with such initiatives as the system of ‘river chiefs’ to address the serious problem of waterway pollution. By tracing the transition to more environmentally friendly economic and industrial policies, government efforts are also described to foster greater environmental consciousness on the part of the Chinese public. The article concludes by weighing the accomplishments of the new policies along with various economic, institutional, and structural obstacles to achieving a ‘beautiful China’.