Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments on China’s 13th Five-Year Plan. It is an honor to provide feedback to a country that plays a large role in creating a more sustainable planet. I welcome the Chinese government’s direction in creating an “ecological civilization” by pursuing more balanced growth by 2020. The world knows that China will continue to achieve globally significant targets in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, decrease in total energy consumption, and increase in energy efficiency. I have two comments for your consideration.

Prioritize the protection of rivers

I am very encouraged by the government’s recent decisions to link and restore river systems. China’s rivers are part of the nation’s heritage and have sustained the Chinese people throughout history. I applaud efforts to protect the Yangtze River and the Nu River. It is critical to ensure that these powerful yet fragile life-supporting systems remain free-flowing and healthy. In a beautiful China, all rivers would be similarly protected.

While I understand the need for reducing climate emissions, I believe that China’s existing clean power plan and its export of energy technologies are overly reliant on large hydropower projects. I hope that the 13th Five-Year Plan will not continue to rely on large-scale hydropower as a source of non-fossil fuel energy.

Rivers are global carbon sinks and ensuring their protection means that they can remove more carbon from the atmosphere. Hydropower projects have big impacts on ecosystems and people who depend on rivers for their livelihoods.

The number of small hydropower plants should be controlled and all small and medium hydropower projects should undergo rigorous environmental and social impact assessments prior to commencing construction.

First Comment: China should encourage innovation of sources of clean energy, other than hydropower. Non-hydro clean energy should be prioritized and scaled up.

China as a responsible global player

With Chinese government support under the “Going Out” strategy, “One Belt, One Road” and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Chinese entities have emerged as the biggest players in the global hydropower industry. Chinese companies and banks are now associated with over 300 dams in 74 countries.

Chinese companies are facing big challenges because many of their hydropower projects are located in countries that have low environmental protection requirements, and at times suffer from corruption. However, Chinese hydropower companies are committed to forging a positive international reputation despite working in these high-risk areas. Through my work with International Rivers, I engage with these powerful companies. The companies want to improve their record and are seeking increased guidance on how to better implement projects overseas. The Chinese government can develop guidelines so that Chinese companies can comply to standards, which are higher than the local standards in many countries where they operate.

A project by International Rivers this year shows that generally the Chinese hydropower industry is operating at or above international practices in risk management and dam safety. At the same time, Chinese hydropower companies must improve their plans for biodiversity protection, social impact assessments, information disclosure, stakeholder consultation, and grievance mechanisms.

Second Comment: The Chinese government should issue best practice examples and guidelines to companies with projects or investments overseas. These guidelines would ensure that the environment and communities in local areas are protected.

Rivers are the arteries of China and are powerful representations of the Chinese nation. Keeping the rivers of China healthy and free-flowing will continue to sustain the Chinese people and downstream neighbors for generations to come. Keeping healthy rivers will ensure internal stability and peacefulness among neighbors.