Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Continuously raise the barriers to entry for new projects in the chemical industry

On August 25, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology responded to the Proposal No. 0963 (Gongjiao Post and Telecommunications No. 93) of the Fourth Session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Raise the entry threshold for new projects in the chemical industry, and strictly enforce project safety reviews and hazardous chemical production license management. Speed up the elimination of outdated production capacity, promote the transformation and upgrading of the chemical industry, and achieve high-quality development.

The original text is as follows:

Letter on Reply to Proposal No. 0963 (Gongjiao Post and Telecommunications No. 93) at the Fourth Meeting of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

Member Xu Jingkun:

Your "Proposal on the Healthy Development of the Chemical and Chemical Industry" has been received, and the reply is as follows:

The chemical industry is an important part of the national economy and is of great significance to promoting my country's economic development and improving people's livelihood. Our ministry and relevant departments actively promote technological innovation and quality upgrading in the chemical industry, strict entry barriers, continue to strengthen prior and in-process supervision, and accelerate my country's progress from a major chemical country to a powerful country.

1. Regarding the definition of the chemical industry as a high-tech industry

The chemical industry has a wide coverage, a wide range of categories, and a variety of products. It involves many fields, including strategic emerging industries such as new chemical materials, as well as resource-intensive traditional industries such as urea, ammonium phosphate, calcium carbide, and caustic soda. It does not have the overall inclusion of high-tech industries. The relevant departments have incorporated some new chemical materials into high-tech industries and strategic emerging industries, and have actively supported them. One is to build an innovation platform. Our ministry supports the construction of new material production and application demonstration and testing and evaluation platforms, promotes the in-depth integration of production, education, research and application, encourages upstream and downstream collaborative research, and promotes the innovative development of the new material industry. The second is to increase financial support. Our ministry promoted the establishment of a manufacturing transformation and upgrading fund, and the National Development and Reform Commission established a new functional material industry development fund, with new materials as the main investment direction. Our department uses industrial infrastructure reengineering and high-quality manufacturing special projects to actively promote key technology research and application of new materials. The third is to promote the promotion and application. The Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Finance and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission jointly implemented the pilot work of the first batch of insurance compensation mechanism for the application of new materials, included new chemical materials in the scope of support, and encouraged downstream user companies to carry out new material application and verification, so as to promote the synergy of the entire industry chain with production promotion. develop.

In the next step, the Ministry will continue to improve the relevant support policies for the chemical industry with relevant departments, and timely incorporate the chemical industry into the high-tech industry category, and clarify the development focus of new chemical materials in the preparation process of the "Fourteenth Five-Year" Raw Material Industry Development Plan. Guide enterprises to continuously increase scientific and technological innovation and technological transformation, and promote the high-quality development of the chemical industry.

2. Regarding raising the barriers to entry in the chemical industry

Relevant departments have issued relevant plans, policies, standards, and regulations to guide local areas to strictly enforce project access, control the quality of new projects from the source, and promote the green, low-carbon, safe and efficient development of the industry. One is to strengthen policy guidance. The National Development and Reform Commission issued and implemented the "Industrial Structure Adjustment Guidance Catalog (2019 Edition)", which listed equipment and products with high environmental impact, high safety risk, and low technical level as restricted or eliminated, and guided the high-level development of the industry. The second is strict access to new projects. Our ministry has formulated "para-xylene project construction specification conditions", "chromium compound project construction specification conditions", "diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), toluene diisocyanate (TDI) project construction specification conditions" and other industry specifications, and benchmarked domestic Advanced level, strict requirements for the construction of new projects; when cooperating with the Development and Reform Commission to study the layout of the "Petrochemical Industry Planning and Layout Plan (Revised Edition)" planning projects, it is required that the technical level of new refining, ethylene, and aromatics projects must reach the internationally advanced level. The third is to strengthen the safety management of hazardous chemicals. The Ministry of Emergency Response instructed all localities to formulate and strictly implement the "Prohibition, Restriction and Control" catalogue of hazardous chemicals, and issued the "Catalogue for the Safety Classification and Rectification of Hazardous Chemical Enterprises" and "The Catalogue of Safe Production Technology and Equipment for Elimination of Outdated Hazardous Chemicals (First Batch)". Eliminate the transfer of outdated production capacity from other places, guide local classification to rectify and upgrade, eliminate outdated technology and equipment, and effectively prevent safety risks. The State Administration of Market Supervision shall instruct all localities to implement the management of industrial product production licenses for hazardous chemicals.

In the next step, our ministry will continue to improve relevant plans, policies, standards, and specifications with relevant departments, continue to raise the entry threshold for new projects, and strictly enforce project safety reviews and hazardous chemical production license management. Speed up the elimination of outdated production capacity, promote the transformation and upgrading of the chemical industry, and achieve high-quality development.

3. Regarding Strengthening Prior and Interim Supervision

In recent years, relevant state departments have continued to improve the prior and in-process supervision system, continue to optimize the business environment, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises. The first is to strengthen the investigation and management of potential safety risks. The Emergency Department formulated and issued the "Guidelines for the Inspection and Governance of Hazardous Chemical Enterprises' Safety Risks and Hidden Hazards" and "Guidelines for the Inspection and Governance of Safety Risks in Chemical Parks (for Trial Implementation)" to organize and implement precise safety risk inspection and assessment for hazardous chemical enterprises and chemical parks, and complete the establishment. The national hazardous chemical safety production risk monitoring and early warning system has been deepened and applied to promote the formulation of "one park, one policy" and "one enterprise, one policy", and implement strict governance and rectification. The General Administration of Market Supervision organizes and conducts inspections of hidden dangers in the quality and safety of hazardous chemicals nationwide. The second is to standardize the supervision and law enforcement of the ecological environment. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the ``Implementation Plan on the Promotion of Random Sampling System in the Field of Daily Environmental Supervision of Pollution Sources'', ``Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Positive List Management of Ecological Environment Supervision and Law Enforcement to Promote Differentiated Law Enforcement Supervision'', and ``Guiding Catalogue of Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Matters for Ecological Environment Protection (2020) (Annual Edition)", reduce the comprehensive law enforcement agencies for ecological environment protection, integrate ecological environment protection law enforcement matters, standardize the supervision and law enforcement system, reduce duplication, multiple inspections and on-site law enforcement, cancel law enforcement matters without legal basis and unnecessary, and strictly prohibit the field of ecological environment law enforcement "One size fits all" and guide local governments to control pollution in a precise, scientific, and legal manner. The third is to increase guidance, supervision and assistance. The Ministry of Emergency Response has carried out various forms such as continuous expert guidance services in key counties of hazardous chemicals and open and unannounced visits to carefully carry out inspections and promote local governments to resolutely close down and ban enterprises that do not meet the requirements for safe production. In strengthening supervision and assistance, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment insists on "double inspections", not only investigating inactions and slow acts, but also investigating chaotic acts and abuses; investigating environmental violations and the performance of duties in relevant places according to law. The General Administration of Market Supervision carries out the qualification certification of chemical product inspection and testing institutions in accordance with the law, and promotes the improvement of the capabilities of inspection and testing institutions through various means such as proficiency testing and laboratory comparison, and provides technical support for related product quality supervision.

In the next step, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will continue to guide all localities to implement the positive list, and issue guidance on further strengthening the supervision of the ecological environment "double random and one open" as soon as possible, and promote the institutionalization, standardization and uniformity of supervision and law enforcement. Further improve the effectiveness of law enforcement; the State Administration of Market Supervision will strengthen the supervision of product quality and safety during and after the event, and actively cooperate with the ecological environment and other departments to carry out relevant law enforcement work to promote the healthy development of the chemical and chemical industry.