On Tuesday, the Chinese environment ministry had announced that it will take action to "significantly reduce" the volume of industrial wastewater currently flowing into the Bohai Sea, one of the busiest and most polluted shipping routes in the world.
For years, China has been working on ways to reverse the environmental damage done to the Bohai Sea, which stretches along the coast of China's major heavy industrial provinces of Liaoning, Shandong and Hebei. According to analysis, the sea is contaminated with plastic waste, fertilizer run-offs, heavy metals and sewage waste.
It is also the location of the 2011 oil spill when a well of US firm ConocoPhillips was damaged.
In its policy document, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said that it would immediately take action to ensure that 73% of Bohai's coastal waters will be fit for human contact by 2020. The ministry would also enforce "red lines" that would restrict certain parts of the coast from being developed or reclaied.
China will also be setting up a regular inspection team to ensure that the laws are enforced and help prevent other environmental risks from damaging the sea further.
Last month, the head of the ministry's marine environment office Ke Chang said that China has been unable to resolve major coastal pollution problems in Bohai or reduce the pollutants flowing to the sea. However, Ke had said that the government aims to put 30% of its coastal waters off limits to development.
