China reports major gains in circular economy

China has made significant progress in advancing its circular economy since the implementation of the Circular Economy Promotion Law in 2009, said Wang Dongming, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

The efforts have led to steady improvements in national resource-use efficiency, contributing to the green transformation of socioeconomic development and strengthening ecological civilization construction, Wang said on Monday while addressing an ongoing session of the country's top legislature.

His remarks were based on law enforcement inspections carried out from July to October in 16 prefecture-level cities across six provinces, including Hubei and Guangdong. Additional inspections were conducted by standing committees of provincial-level people's congresses in six regions, including Hunan and Guizhou.

Wang highlighted the growing role of recycled resources in safeguarding national resource security.

In 2024, more than 400 million metric tons of 10 major categories of renewable resources were recycled nationwide, with waste paper accounting for 70 percent and scrap steel 21 percent, he said.

The country also utilized 3.97 billion tons of bulk solid waste in 2024, representing 59 percent of the total, Wang added.

He said the resource recycling industry has emerged as a new engine of economic growth and a key source of employment.

The industry's total output value exceeded 4 trillion yuan in 2024, and it provided jobs for more than 35 million people, he said.

China has also strengthened incentive policies to promote resource recycling by increasing financial support, allocating more than 117 billion yuan during the 14th Five-Year Plan period from 2021 to 2025, Wang said.

A range of specialized funds — including those targeting waste electrical and electronic equipment, manufacturing transformation and upgrading — as well as green finance mechanisms have been established to support green industries and waste recycling systems, he added.

In addition, green procurement requirements ensure that energy-saving and environmentally friendly products account for more than 85 percent of government purchases within their respective categories, Wang said.