The fact that sustainable development has become a term frequently used, even in people's everyday conversations is strong evidence that the concept has been widely accepted in the country.

But it is one thing for the concept to gain acceptance in terms of the comprehension of its connotation by policymakers and the general public, and another for it to materialize in economic development and social progress.

The latest report on the country's sustainable development strategy that was published by the Chinese Academy of Sciences on the weekend suggests that there is still much to be desired when it comes to such specific issues as reduction of pollutant discharge, protection of resources and the exercise of thrift in industrial production and urbanization.

It is undeniable that the central government has done a great deal in the past years to make the country's economic development sustainable. Policies combining both penalties and incentives have been adopted to reduce consumption of energy and discharge of pollutants.

But as the report reveals, much remains to be done to make our development sustainable in the real sense. Compared with 1995, the environment continues to deteriorate in most parts of the country, according to the report.

This shows that the central government policies on the macro-control level are not carried out to the letter at the grassroots level. And it is not because the leaders at the grassroots level do not understand the importance of sustainable development, but because the concept of sustainable development would have to give in to the dictates of expediency when it comes to the choice between immediate and long-term benefits.

Our country is in a rapid urbanization process, but how we should integrate the protection of resources and environment into this process is still an issue that needs to be further studied for a well-designed and applicable strategy, according to the report.

We are at a critical juncture to turn this well-understood concept of sustainable development into action. But it indeed takes time to build up a mechanism, which will be able to make leaders of governments at various levels to realize that they must take into consideration a long-term view of environmental and ecological consequences when they plan their economic development and social progress. Optimistically the central government is building such a mechanism.

(China Daily, March 4, 2008)