China has issued a guideline calling for an "ecological¹ red line" around areas where development is prohibited, with the nationwide initiative expected to be completed by 2020, the central government said in a statement.

根据中央政府日前发布的声明，我国已发布一份意见，要求在禁止开发区域附近划定“生态保护红线”，这项国家倡议预计于2020年前完成。

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and provinces along the Yangtze River will take the lead in drawing the red line to protect the environment by the end of this year.

2017年年底前，京津冀区域、长江沿线省份将率先划定生态保护红线，以保护环境。

By 2030, China will see the system working effectively, with noticeable improvements in ecological functions across the country, the statement said.

根据声明，到2030年，生态保护红线制度将有效实施，全国生态功能显著提升。

The regions mapped out by the "ecological red line", which are of critical importance for the protection of water, soil, forestry² and biodiversity, should be strictly³ protected and free from development or exploitation, according to the statement.

声明指出，划定生态保护红线的区域对保护水土、森林、生物多样性都至关重要，应严格保护、禁止开发开采。

"The ecological red line aims to safeguard national ecological security," the statement said, adding that the country must closely monitor it.

该声明称：“这一生态保护红线旨在维护国家的生态安全”，并表示国家必须对此密切监控。

"I think it is appropriate for the country to keep 35 percent of its territory inside the ecological red line to better protect the environment," Ouyang Zhiyun, director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Center for Environmental Studies, said last Tuesday.

中国科学院环境研究中心主任欧阳志云上周二表示：“我认为我国应将国土面积35%的区域确定为国家生态保护红线，以更好地保护环境。”

Ouyang said he is confident that provinces will reach their targets for drawing the red line and environmental protection because of the growing attention the system is receiving and other supplementary⁴ policies that will support its implementation⁵.

欧阳志云称，自己相信各省都会达到制定红线和保护环境的目标，因为该制度受到了越来越多的关注，此外还有其他一些支持其执行的补充政策。