중국 해양환경관리정책의 변화와 시사점

Abstract

The recent formation of marine environment policy in China has followed the orientation of international conventions. Since the 1970s, various marine protection rules consented by the international society have been affirmatively reflected in the Chinese legislation, and some international rules even more stringent than the domestic ones have been respected above the domestic laws and regulations. This new movement illustrates that the Chinese government has a strong will to endorse the spirit of marine environment protection. The marine environment management plans in China, however, are often tempered by the hierarchical decentralized governance relationship between central and local governments. Regardless of the farsighted policies of the central government, the plans of the central government on local marine protection policy have turned sour because most of local governments which play an imminent role in policy implementation put a higher priority on the local economic development. The Chinese marine protection policies confront with nontrivial obstacles such as systemic inconsistencies, decentralized policy making processes, restriction on third-party participation, and discrepancies between central and local government policies. Despite of these huddles, China's solemn pledge on marine environment protection and management would be worth international attention. In particular, China advocate marine environment policies sanctioned by international community by implementing eco-system based management (EBM) and functionality based marine area management. In addition, it is worth noting that the Chinese government recognizes strong socioeconomic demands and urgent needs of advanced marine legislation systems, puts forward long-term plans on establishment and modification of the marine laws, and carries out the plans accordingly.