Delegation from

China
Position Paper for UN-Habitat
The topics before UN- Habitat are: Management and Control of Urbanization and Tourism in Protected Areas; and
Sustainable Transportation between Urban and Rural Zones. China would like to express its eagerness in working
with fellow member states on these pressing issues and looks forward to taking part in building a more sustainable
and connected world for people now and for generations to come.
I.​ ​Management and Control of Urbanization and Tourism in Protected Areas
There are 7.6 billion people living on Earth as of 2017 and the United Nations estimates that number will rise to 11.2
billion by 2100. Distribution of this growing population throughout the world is not uniform. In fact, according to
the UN DESA about 70% of people will live in an urban area by 2050. China already has experience addressing this
issue as 767.5 million of our citizens live in or around cities. We understand the problems that are coming from this
rapid urbanization, especially in areas that require special protections. Unless urbanization is properly managed,
these areas face problems including but not limited to air and water pollution, difficulty with waste management and
disposal, littering issues, depletion of natural resources, and the loss of biodiversity from our ecological footprint.
China wishes to address these problems by honoring the Sustainable Development Goals, especially numbers 6, 9,
11, and 12. One particular example of the problem that China has to share is the dramatic increase in the number of
cars in our cities due to the increasing populations. Acid rain stemming from the enormous leap in the number of
cars on the roads is eroding relief carvings and statuary all around the palaces of the “Forbidden City” Beijing, an
area in China with monumental importance to our history and culture. Not only are historic sites in our cities being
affected, but so are the wilderness areas that play such an import role in our societies. As cities expand they often
encroach into these natural areas and China urges fellow Member States to remember why these protected areas
must ​remain protected. These places help contribute to sustainable development, ecosystem services in regards to
food and water, disease management, climate regulation, and spiritual and aesthetic fulfillment. We are pleased that
much of this discussion already took place during the Habitat III 2016 conference in Quito, Ecuador and wish to
remind member states to remember and continue the progress made there. This is why China supports Res/71/256 in
which the UN officially recognizes the New Urban Agenda of 2016. China believes that this agenda outlines the
main solutions that would help address the problem of urbanization and protected areas, and implores fellow
member states to adopt its suggestions within their own policies. These solutions include rethinking how we plan,
live, and manage cities, including building resilience in cities to reduce the risk and the impact of disasters. China
looks to improve connectivity and support green initiatives by establishing partnerships with businesses and civil
society to find sustainable solutions to urban challenges ​that will allow us to access both public and private
opportunities for funding. We will continue to reach out globally for partnerships as well. We hope that our
involvement in programs like the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities will inspire others to cooperate in these
joint efforts as we work alongside international organizations such as the World Bank. China would also like to
stress the importance of making sure tourism is sustainable and has no negative effect on Protected Areas which is
why we support the ​UN’s 2017 Year of Sustainable Tourism. ​We recognize the significance of tourism to many
countries’ economies, including our own. However we are aware of the toll that it has environmentally, which is
why we push the concept of ecotourism. By showing tourists just how much the environmental world has to offer
and teaching them about how important it is, we help create a balance between the financial gain of tourism and the
maintenance of biodiversity in protected areas. In order to help in this endeavor, we encourage member states to
follow the ​Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011) and are pleased that 96% of countries involved have developed
NBSAPs in line with Article 6, allowing them to honor and promote the Aichi Targets. This is why China is proud
of its efforts to open the world’s largest botanical garden, Qinling Botanical National Garden, in Zhouzhi County.
The park is ​458 square kilometers and will protect a total of 6,100 rare plant species. ​The park is just one example
of China’s commitment to ecological tourism as it will be used for teaching purposes, scientific research, and
biodiversity protection and we hope other countries will follow in our footsteps and do the same. Further solutions
include careful urban planning and regulations on land use to defend protected areas and mainstreaming biodiversity
in public policies and regulations, like China has done with our new policies for the restrictions on automobiles
fueled by gas and diesel. China also suggests supporting sustainable tourism through the use of solution strategies
such as microcredit opportunities in order to aid poor and indigenous people who wish to get involved in the market.
We hope that through careful planning and cooperation with other Member States, these ideas will soon become a
reality.
II.​ ​Sustainable Transportation between Urban and Rural Zones
Transportation issues can be easily overlooked, especially if you are lucky enough to have a car or live in a city
where public transportation is readily available. Many do not realize the impact that the lack of adequate
transportation can have on a society, especially in extremely isolated rural areas. This is why China is dedicated to
bridging the gap between urban and rural zones and would like to open the discussion to include other member
states. We believe it is important to understand the perspective of those who live in these rural areas and the
problems they face when they can’t get to cities. Though it’s true that for the first time in China the amount of
people that live in Urban Zones exceeds those in rural zones, about 43.32% of Chinese citizens are still negatively
impacted from the lack of transportation infrastructure they so desperately need. Without it, our rural citizens do not
have the same access to services like healthcare, education, and trade that urban dwellers do. China believes that the
improvement of transportation in these sectors will help rural areas grow economically and socially, as citizens will
better be able to transport their goods to a larger market in cities, take advantage of the wider job market found in
them, and children will be able to attend superior schools as well. The areas most in need in China can be found in
our Northwest and Western rural regions including the autonomous regions of Xinjiang and Ningxia and the
provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai. We wish to congratulate the country of Ireland on their Rural Transport
Program and seek to use it as a guideline in our own efforts to provide, enhance and sustain a nationwide
community-based public transport system in rural areas. We hope that examining their successful policies will help
us maximize existing transport assets and utilize new technology where necessary in the coordination and
development of transportation. China also recognizes the importance of focusing on those most vulnerable when it
comes to traveling. This includes groups like the elderly, the disabled, women, and those with children. China
wishes to display our efforts in developing rural mobility with our Guiyang Rural Road Project. ​There are several
objectives to this plan and we accomplished many by selecting the rural roads with superior status, improving the
traffic accessibility as well as the ability of rural road maintenance in Guiyang area by upgrading and reconstruction.
By doing this we help connect the urban road network with regional road networks, joining all transit lines in
Guiyang. This is done so that tourism resources in Pudu, Baishuihe River, Bala Gorge, and Guyidao can be further
developed, which in turn will boost the local economy and accelerate the comprehensive building of a moderate
prosperous society. An important aspect of this project that we believe other countries should mimic as part of the
solution is the involvement of rural citizens as stakeholders. Survey these villages for what they need the most,
compensate them for any losses or damages to property caused by these projects, and keep them informed and
involved in the decision making process. China recognizes that our infrastructure policies have gradually been
shifting from roadway building to public transportation, especially in large cities. For our country as a whole, the
proportion of expenditure on public transportation in China increased from 10.2 percent in 2003 to 16.2 percent in
2009. We understand that by discouraging the use of cars, we both minimize the environmental impact we have
transportation wise and maximize the amount of energy spent on modes of transportation that would benefit the
majority of those in both urban and rural areas who do not have access to a car. This is why China has been a
supporter of UNEP’s “Share the Road” program which supports governments and other stakeholders in developing
countries around the world to move away from prioritizing the car-driving minority, and towards investing in
infrastructure for the majority, mainly those who walk and ride bicycles. We also would like to endorse the work
done by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development which created the Road Transport Research
(RTR) Program. This program allows for regular interaction and exchange among national road researchers from
OECD member countries to help promote rural road safety. China stresses the importance of the use of these kinds
of partnerships to provide national and subnational governments with info, training, and technical assistance in
devising sustainable urban mobility plans and investment strategies. We understand that funding is often an issue,
and molding transport strategies to fit the particular region it needs to help can be difficult as well. This is why
China looks forward to sharing the work we’ve done so far on this issue with other member states. We also hope
that examining the particular approaches of our fellow member states will open the dialogue for new ideas and better
implementation methods. We understand that this may be a daunting task. As President Xi Jinping once said, “We
should not develop a habit of retreating to the harbor whenever we encounter a storm, for this will never get us to the
other side of the ocean."