Environmental Risks in China and Their Countermeasures

The 13th Five-year Plan period （2016-2020） is a crucial period for environmental protection in China and represents the last chance for the achievement of the environmental objective under the goal of building a well-off society in an all-round manner. During this period of time, China＇ s environment is confronted with the following major risks： risks of environmental quality, human health, ecological security, balanced regional development and international influence. The overall conclusion is that the tendencies of changing eco-environment are complex, problems remain outstanding, and some risks have abated while others have intensified with possible improvements in the future. Future prospects mainly depend on the intensity of actions taken. It is suggested that environmental protection strategy of＂overall optimization＂ be adopted for the 13th Five-year Plan period, i.e. environmental protection requirements should be incorporated into political, economic, social and cultural spheres, so that these areas with major influence on the natural environment will improve and transform towards an environmentally friendly direction and ultimately help achieve the objective of improving eco-environment and people＇s welfare. In order to fundamentally reverse mainstream understanding on environmental protection, it is suggested to define the ＂contradiction between environmental pressures arising from growing economic development and China ＇ s limited and fragile environmental capacity＂ as a major contradiction of Chinese society.

Transformation in the Form of a Better Life in the New Era and Its Value Guidance

A"better life in the new era,"a proposition unique to 21 st century Marxism,is based on the historical originality of socialism with Chinese characteristics.Along with the transformation of the main contradictions in Chinese society,"a better life in the new era"has become a new life-form.Of course,the new life-form and new development ideas are complementary.On the one hand,the proposition of the new development ideas is based on the transformation of the new life-forms,so the inherent purport of the two is closely related;on the other,the proposition of such ideas will further promote the construction of"a better life in the new era"at the level of practice,and will play a key leading role in the resolution of major social contradictions.Therefore,to comprehensively understand the revolutionary significance of a"better life in the new era"under the guidance of the new development principles,we must gain an intrinsic grasp of the many forms of a"better life in the new era,"including its actors,forms of occurrence,forms of realization and external forms.They have as their theoretical support such concepts as"the people as themain force,the ruling Party as the guide,""transformation of contradictions,integration of supply and demand,""labor orientation,co-creation and sharing,"and"homogeneous ideals extended worldwide."Together,these constitute a unique Chinese style.In the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics,or modernization,only the sublation of"objective[sachlicher]dependence"and adherence to the practical intention of"free individuality"can fulfill the"return"of a"better life in the new era"toward"man himself,"and achieve value guidance for the Chinese road.

The Basic Issues concerning the Construction of the Rule of Law in China in the New Era

China has entered a new era in our march toward the rule of law,and the principal contradiction facing Chinese society has changed into one between the people’s evergrowing need for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development.At the rule of law level,the contradiction manifests itself as a gap between the public’s expectations of rule of law construction and its unbalanced and inadequate development in legislation,law enforcement,the judicial system,legal compliance,legal supervision,etc.The Report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China points out that law-based governance is an essential requirement and important guarantee for socialism with Chinese characteristics.It outlines an impressive blueprint for building the rule of law in the new era,and further expounds the basic strategy for building the rule of law in China in the future.It provides the guiding ideology and program of action for the comprehensive rule of law and establishes the goal of building the rule of law.Under the guidance of Xi Jinping thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era,rule of law construction in China will embark on a new journey.