For two-score years, Zhuhai leaders have adhered to what has proven to be a win-win path for both ecological protection and economic development: The environment absolutely comes first!

This pioneering approach of putting the ecological environment protection stamp on project acceptance has made the city even more livable. Nonetheless, the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone (SEZ) has undergone rapid development as Reform & Opening Up progressed over the past four decades.

In the first half of this year, for instance, city fixed-asset investment (up 13.5 percent, excluding farmers), number of newly established foreign-funded enterprises (plus 122.6 percent), and actual use of direct foreign investment (6.2 percent rise) were robust despite the COVID-19 outbreak.

Furthermore, local Gross Domestic Product went from 209 million yuan ($30 million) in 1979 to 343.60 billion yuan ($49 billion) in 2019 and general-public budget expenditures increased from 1.02 billion yuan ($146 million) to 61.60 billion yuan ($9 billion). Per capita disposable income of urban residents also saw a 36.2-time jump from 1,485 yuan ($212) in 1986 to 55,220 yuan ($7,890) in 2019.

Fisheye view of urban area along Central Lovers Avenue in Old Xiangzhou, showing Zhuhai Opera House on Yeli Island in Xianglu Bay [File photo]

Clean-energy and service industries, mostly in the high-tech and tourism sectors – have mushroomed. Projects with heavy pollution, however, have been strictly prohibited since the beginning of the SEZ's overall plan and investment attraction. For example, the CPC Zhuhai Municipal Committee and People's Government soundly halted pollution in Maoshengwei (Gongbei) from garbage from Macao in the early 1980s despite lucrative revenue.

The principle was further underscored in the city with the passage of Eight Prohibitions in Environmental Protection in 1992. Moreover, the first action taken after the city obtained regional legislative power was to pass the Environment Protection Regulations in May 1998.

Also in 1998, Zhuhai was named both National Tourism and National Environment Protection exemplary city and the UN Center for Human Settlements granted Zhuhai the Dubai International Award for Best Practice in Improving the Living Environment.

More accolades including National Garden City, State-Level Exemplary Ecological Zone, Demonstration City of China Ecological Civilization, and National Hygienic City followed suit. Praise was given for outstanding practices under a dozen regional laws and regulations as well as for government rules on ecological environment.

These achievements were made in concert with a green industrial system with an energy conservation and environment protection concept, intensive land use, science and technology empowerment, and sound comprehensive benefits. Reflecting this, the Gaolan Port Economic Zone was the sole economic and technological development zone in Guangdong Province to be cited for green manufacture by the Ministry of Industry & Information Technology in 2018.

In addition, Zhuhai ranks 10th on China's 2019 Top 50 Cities in Green City Index in a report compiled by the Investment Association of China and Globe magazine. Measured and assessed were the overall environmental performances of 169 major domestic cities across a range of criteria.