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Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Emergency Management jointly issued the \"Standards for the Construction of Chemical Industrial Parks and Measures for Their Recognition and Management (Trial)\\" (MIIT Yuan [2021] No. 220, hereinafter referred to as the \"Measures\"). The following is an interpretation of the relevant provisions of the Measures: 1. What are the types of chemical industrial parks? The chemical industrial parks referred to in the Measures are industrial areas established with the approval of the people’s government, oriented toward the development of the chemical industry, featuring clear geographical boundaries and management entities, as well as complete infrastructure and management systems. It mainly includes two categories: one is the professionally approved chemical industrial parks or concentrated chemical areas ； Second, chemically industrial parks (zones) that are set up separately within economically (technologically) developed zones, high-tech industrial development zones, or other industrial parks that have been approved for establishment. Chemical industrial parks can be developed using models such as \"enclaves\" and \"one area with multiple parks\". 2. How to carry out the recognition and management of parks in accordance with the Measures? The Measures set clear requirements regarding the establishment of chemical industrial parks, the management institutions, site selection, planning, safety, environmental protection, and emergency rescue, and serve as the basic guideline for provinces to formulate implementation rules and carry out accreditation processes. Provincial people’s governments **or their authorized agencies shall, in accordance with the principle of adhering to standards no lower than those specified in the Measures, and taking into account local conditions, formulate and improve the construction standards for chemical industrial parks in their respective regions, as well as the detailed rules for recognition and management and the scoring criteria for such recognition. They shall carry out the process of recognizing chemical industrial parks, and regularly organize self-assessments and re-evaluations of those parks that have been recognized. The relevant departments at all local levels are responsible for the management of chemical industrial parks in accordance with their duties. For provinces that have issued implementation rules and published lists of approved chemical industrial parks, they should re-evaluate those parks that have been approved in accordance with the relevant regulations; those that do not meet the requirements set out in these regulations must make corrections within a specified time frame. 3. How should unqualified chemical industrial parks be dealt with? Provincial people’s ** governments or their authorized agencies may, in accordance with the local implementation rules, take one of the following two approaches to deal with chemical industrial parks that fail to pass the assessment. First, order rectification within a specified time frame in accordance with laws and regulations, improve supporting facilities, and eliminate potential safety and environmental risks. During the rectification period, no new chemical projects shall be established or expanded or renovated in the chemical industrial park (except for projects related to safety, environmental protection, energy conservation, and automation). If the requirements are not met upon the expiration of the rectification period, it will be shut down in accordance with laws and regulations. Second, they must be shut down in accordance with laws and regulations; no new chemical industry projects may be undertaken. Existing chemical enterprises within the park should be properly handled to eliminate potential safety and environmental risks, while preventing any secondary safety accidents or environmental pollution incidents. 4. How should newly established chemical industrial parks be managed? Given that the relevant supporting facilities for the newly established chemical industrial park have not yet been built, it does not meet the conditions for recognition as a chemical industrial park ； If projects are introduced only after the supporting facilities are completed, it will result in a long construction period for the chemical park and delays in the start-up of large-scale chemical projects. To ensure both the quality of chemical park construction and the orderly advancement of major chemical project development, the Measures put forward three requirements for newly established chemical parks. First, it must be approved for establishment by the people’s government at the provincial level or above ** or its authorized agencies ； Second, the chemical projects to be undertaken must be included in ** or relevant local plans, and must obtain approval from the provincial people’s ** or its authorized authorities ； Third, before the chemical projects in the park begin operations, the newly established chemical park must undergo approval in accordance with the requirements of the Measures. 5. What is the background behind the introduction of these Measures? Chemical industrial parks are important platforms for the development of the chemical industry; they play a crucial role in promoting unified safety supervision, centralized environmental management, and coordinated development among upstream and downstream entities, and have become the main sites for the growth of this industry. At present, the development level of chemical industrial parks in our country varies significantly. Some parks suffer from issues such as unreasonable planning and layout, inadequate supporting facilities, and insufficient professional supervision capabilities, resulting in high risks to safety and the environment. There is an urgent need for policies to guide the standardized development of these chemical industrial parks. ****The State Council attaches great importance to the green and safe development of chemical industrial parks. The **Notice issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council** (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Opinions’) requires the establishment of standards, criteria for recognition, and management procedures for the construction of chemical industrial parks. To implement the requirements of the \"Opinions,\" the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in conjunction with relevant departments, has formulated these \"Measures\" aimed at guiding local authorities in standardizing the construction of industrial parks and carrying out relevant certification processes, thereby improving the levels of safe production and green development in chemical industrial parks. 6. What are the overall considerations in formulating the «Measures»? Three main considerations guided the formulation of the Measures: first, ensuring full alignment with existing policy standards. Guided by **relevant laws and regulations**, the Measures are aligned with standards such as the guidelines for identifying and addressing safety risks in chemical industrial parks and the guidelines for comprehensive evaluation. Drawing on the recognition methods already established in various provinces, they serve as a basis for those provinces to formulate their own recognition and management methods, with the aim of promoting the green and safe development of chemical industrial parks. Second, take into account the characteristics of different chemical industrial parks as a whole. Taking into account factors such as the large number of chemical industrial parks in China, as well as their varying geographical locations and dominant industries, the Measures establish differentiated policies to ensure that safety and environmental risks remain under control. For example, given the low temperatures in the north during winter, the high operating costs associated with conveying wastewater through open pipes, and the high risk of pipe freezing and cracking, we require that wastewater be discharged using either dedicated pipes or open pipes. Third, strictly adhere to the bottom line of safety and environmental protection. The Measures address the needs related to intrinsic safety, clean production, and emergency response in chemical industrial parks, and set mandatory benchmark requirements in areas such as park establishment, management institutions, site selection, planning, safety and environmental protection, as well as emergency rescue. These represent the basic requirements that must be met by various provinces when formulating their implementation rules. 7. What are the basis and main contents of the “Measures”? The Measures are mainly formulated in accordance with standards and regulations such as the \"Guidelines for the Identification and Management of Safety Risks in Chemical Industrial Parks (Trial)\\" (Emergency [2019] No. 78), the \"Guidelines for the Comprehensive Evaluation of Chemical Industrial Parks\" (GB/T 39217-2020), and the \"Guidelines for the Development and Construction of Chemical Industrial Parks – Part 1: General Provisions\" (T/CPCIF 0054.1-2020). The Measures consist of 5 chapters and 26 articles. Chapter 1 General Provisions: 3 articles that outline the basis for formulating these Measures, the authority for management, and the definition of chemical industrial parks. Chapter 2: Construction Standards – comprising 12 provisions – sets out mandatory indicator requirements in areas such as park establishment, management agencies, site selection for parks, planning, safety and environmental protection, as well as emergency rescue. These represent the basic requirements that must be met by provinces when formulating their own management regulations. Chapter 3: Park Recognition – 3 articles that specify the agencies responsible for recognizing chemical parks and the procedures for such recognition. Chapter 4: Park Management – comprising 5 provisions – clarifies the responsibilities of local authorities and relevant departments. It sets out requirements regarding the dynamic management of approved chemical parks, the handling of those that fail to meet the approval criteria, the management of newly established chemical parks, as well as the regular publication of lists of approved chemical parks, the number of enterprises in them, and information on their safety and environmental performance. Chapter 5: Supplementary Provisions, consisting of 3 articles, which specify the requirements for local authorities and the timeline for implementing the document.