54 China The Economist February 19th 2022
nounced that the country would not fi
nance new coal projects abroad. But for
now, China remains the largest consumer
of coal and emitter of carbon dioxide. Suc
cess in stemming deforestation is mitigat
ed by its parallel rise as the world’s largest
importer of wood. Greenpeace called the
Kunming declaration “a toothless tiger”.
Keeping citizens happy is becoming a
powerful incentive for China. They are vo
cal about more than polluted water and
toxic air. The global debate about the ori
gins of covid19 has put a focus on the costs
of destroying habitats and trading wildlife.
In February 2020 China’s legislature ex
panded the scope of its wildlife protection
law to ban the consumption of almost all
wild animals. In a report published in Jan
uary, the World Economic Forum estimat
ed that 65% of China’s gdp, or $9trn, is “at
risk of disruption from nature loss”.No mangrove is an island
Perhaps no province so clearly illustrates
that tradeoff than the island of Hainan, a
lush tourist hotspot off the southern coast.
Last year its white sandy beaches and mon
strous resorts drew 80m (almost entirely
domestic) tourists. Some came for the
newly opened Hainan Tropical Rainforest
National Park, one of the five scenic areas
announced by Mr Xi. Though covering just
4,400 sq km, the rainforest is home to
nearly 20% of China’s amphibian species
and almost 40% of its bird species.
Hainan is China’s smallest province, so
it is hardly representative. But it is a useful
case study, because it is straining under
the excesses of tourism and development
while trying to protect its environment.
Those goals are usually in conflict. But lo
cal ngos are hoping that, if managed well,
tourism can be part of the solution. They
have little choice: such pressures will only
grow as Hainan transforms into a vast free
trade port, as called for in plans unveiled in- The island wants its dutyfree mar
ket to grow tenfold by 2025, to $50bn.
In the 1950s, jungle was cleared for state
farms producing rubber. At that time, there
were about 2,000 Hainan gibbons in the
area. By 1970 only around ten were left, and
it is still the world’s rarest primate (pic
tured on previous page). But now, Hainan
is being praised for its rescue efforts,
which include replanting the ape’s favour
ite lychee and fig trees. In September the
park announced that two babies had
brought the population to 35.
Preservation extends beyond the park.
At cop15, China aimed to become the first
country to put 30% of its land and sea un
der protection by 2030. Hainan has already
drawn a “red line” around 27% of its land
and 35% of its coastal waters: any construc
tion in these zones that harms the environ
ment is banned. Land reclamation, shrimp
ponds and sewage discharge have long
contributedtomangroves’disappearance.
NowHainanishaltingsuchencroachment
andreplantingtrees.Nationalmangrove
coverageincreasedbyalmosthalfbetween
2000 and2019,to30,000hectares.
Local initiatives help. Blue Ribbon
Ocean Conservation Association,a local
ngo,patrolsmangroves,clearingawayin
vadingspecies.Itsdatacollectionmeth
odsoncoastalwalkshavebeenadopted
elsewhere.InMeilian,a pilotvillage,it has
gotfishermentousenetswithlargermesh.
Youngvisitorsarestartingtopaya pre
miumforsustainableproduce.Theywant
toenjoya niceenvironment,saysPuBing
meiofBlueRibbon.Morearejoiningin
oceanconservationactivitiesonholiday,
suchasthebeachcleanupsthatherngo
organises.Inlate 2020 Hainanbecamethe
firstprovincetobansingleuseplastic.
The youngest mangrove forest is in
TongqiBay.Awiryfishermansayshehas
beenbannedfromfarmingwhelksinshal
lowcoastalpools.“Mangrovesmeanmore
fish,moreshrimp,morewhelks,”hesays,
asifreciting.MsPuhopesthatshoppers’
cashwillboostlocalgovernmentfunding
forecoprojects.But,shesays,“Astourism
grows yearby year, Hainan will forever
needtofinda newbalance.”nNationalityTwo passports,
one problem
“I
’mamericanwhenI’minthe us, and
I’m Chinese when I’m in China.” So Ei
leen Gu, a goldmedalwinner for Team
China at the Beijing Winter Olympics, re
plied when asked if she was still an Ameri
can citizen. Ms Gu, born and raised in
America, is a superstar in China. But many
Chinese are puzzled. China does not recog
nise dual nationality. Questions about
whether she holds two passports have fu
elled debate about whether China should
change its strict citizenship rules.
Ms Gu’s case is not unusual at the Olym
pics, which end on February 20th. Zhu Yi, a
figureskater, was also born and raised in
America. Most players in China’s men’s
icehockey team are foreignborn. The In
ternational Olympic Committee says that
Ms Gu acquired Chinese nationality in 2019
and that China’s Olympic body produced a
copy of her Chinese passport. But it is un
clear whether she has renounced her
American citizenship, or if China has al
lowed her not to. Like most rich countries,
America allows dual nationality.
The issue has become important formany people in China. Millions of Chinese
have moved abroad and many have gained
foreign citizenship; others have acquired it
by making investments. By law, this results
in automatic forfeiture of Chinese citizen
ship. But many people keep quiet about
their foreign nationality to avoid having to
give up their citizenship rights. Having a
Chinese identity card—available only to
citizens—makes living and working in
China much easier.
China once regarded ethnic Chinese
living abroad as its nationals. But this led
to suspicion in other countries about their
loyalties. In the 1950s the policy changed.
In 1980 a new law banned dual citizenship.
Media occasionally air suggestions that
the ban be lifted. In 2018 Zhu Zhengfu, a
prominent lawyer, said it was fuelling an
exodus of talent. “Acquiring foreign na
tionality cannot be equated with being un
patriotic,” he said.
But there are many Chinese who won
der about that. In 2009 there was anger ov
er reports that several actors in a patriotic
movie, “The Founding of a Republic”, were
Chinaborn holders of foreign passports.
People fume about pop stars and others
whom they accuse of breaking the nation
ality law. Many express support for the cur
rent legislation. If China were to allow dual
nationality, they argue, it would make it
easier for people to make corrupt money in
China and then disappear abroad with it.
Some dual nationals trembled when, in
2017, China began taking the fingerprints
of foreign passportholders entering the
country. There was speculation that this
would make it easier to crack down: peo
ple’s prints could be matched with ones
linked to Chinese identity documents. In
2018 the Chinese embassy in London
warned that those who had renewed their
Chinese passports after securing foreign
citizenship could be barred from China.
But if there is anyflexibility, it seems to ap
ply mainly to ethnicChinese foreigners
with a shot at gold.nForeign-born athletes have
sparked a big debateCome on, Eileen, show us your passport(s)