'Green' sector to be 3% of GDP by 2020: official

The energy conservation and environmental protection plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020) will be unveiled soon, China Business Journal reported on Sunday, citing a senior official from the National Development and Reform Commission.

By 2020, the added value of the energy conservation and environmental protection industry is estimated to account for 3 percent of gross domestic product, becoming one of the pillar industries for the domestic economy, the newspaper said.

Lv Wenbin, vice-director of the Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection under the National Development and Reform Commission, made the remarks at the China Listed Environmental Company Summit held on Saturday.

As of 2015, the added value of the energy conservation and environmental protection sector reached 4.5 trillion yuan ($653.22 billion) Lv said, adding that the added value of the industry accounted for 2.1 percent of gross domestic product, creating more than 30 million jobs.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the total investment of the environmental protection industry will reach an estimated six to 10 trillion yuan, the newspaper said quoting Wang Jinnan, vice-director and chief engineer of the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning.

In recent years China's cabinet, the State Council, has released several plans on the prevention and control of soil pollution, water pollution and air pollution.

A new guideline for environmental protection during the 13th Five-Year Plan period was approved at a State Council executive meeting on Nov 15, presided over by Premier Li Keqiang.

China will improve environmental protection and restoration to ensure a greener, more sustainable development, according to the guideline.

The new guideline also set the goals of a more environmentally friendly way of living, considerable reduction of major pollutants, and a sounder ecological system by 2020.

Xinhua contributed to this story.