ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the evolving political will of environmental protection in the past two decades in the Chinese nondemocratic context. Attention is paid to the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. The politicization of environmental protection is examined across three top leaderships together with their governing ideologies. For President Jiang Zeming and Primer Minister Zhu Rongji, between 1998 and 2002, the economic downturn and unemployment in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis of 1997 were more imminent and politicized, while environmental protection was not a prioritized governmental affair. From 2003 to 2012, under President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) pandemic of 2003 facilitated the new governing ideology of “Scientific View of Development,” of which environmental protection was a crucial component. Significant improvement of environmental quality became a politicized issue for establishing the authority of the new ideology and the top leadership. President Xi Jinping and Primer Minister Li Keqiang came to power in late 2012. Environmental protection was made more visible through “ecological civilization.” The richer society prioritized better environment, while environmental industries alleviated the trade-offs between the environment and the economy. This much stronger political will for environmental protection should be more sustainable through future changes of top leaderships.
