ABSTRACT
In the Chinese view, the concept of the circular economy is based on the three principles of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The rapid growth and industrialization of China over the past 40 years or so has given rise to more and more detrimental environmental pollution, which compounds concerns about increasing waste and decreasing resources. The circular economy is meant to serve as a response to these environmental challenges and to reconcile economic and ecological imperatives by decoupling economic growth from natural resource depletion and environmental degradation (Qi et al., 2016; Murray, Skene, and Haynes, 2017). In their comparative research on the definitions of ‘circular economy’ that circulate in China and Europe, McDowall et al. (2017) have established that the Chinese plans focus more on the combatting of pollution, sustainable development, and ecological civilization, while Europe is more concerned about solutions for waste and the opportunities for industry these solutions may bring (Blomsma and Brennan, 2017). By striving to rebalance economic development while also accounting for social and environmental objectives, China is attempting to achieve a state of harmonious development (Naustdalslid, 2014). The combination of ecological civilization – defined as China’s long-term vision of sustainable development – and the circular economy fits the political narrative of 2002, when both these concepts were first introduced (Geall, 2015a). More concretely, elements such as resource efficiency, green technologies, and waste management were paired with calls to build a resource-saving and environmentally friendly industry and society (McDowall et al., 2017). The policy of creating a harmonious society – including a harmonious approach to development – is very much associated with the Hu Jintao era (2002-2012), but Hu’s successor Xi Jinping has also continued to support it (Naustdalslid, 2014; Marinelli, 2018). The policy of creating an ecological civilization was incorporated into the CCP Charter at the 18th National Party Congress in 2012 and has been considered a key element of China’s national development strategy since then (Kuhn, 2016; Marinelli, 2018).
