Chemical industrial parks that have already been certified will undergo re‑verification! The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued an interpretation of the “Standards for the Construction of Chemical Industrial Parks and Measures for Their Certification (Trial).”

At noon today (January 11), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology provided an authoritative interpretation of the “Standards for the Construction of Chemical Industrial Parks and Measures for Their Accreditation (Trial)” (click to view the original text).

As a key technical support entity for these Measures, the Chemical Park Working Committee of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation has actively collaborated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to conduct multiple rounds of public consultation across chemical parks nationwide. It put forward numerous revision proposals, including the suggestion that “exposed pipelines for wastewater discharge in extremely cold regions are prone to freezing and cracking,” and participated throughout the entire revision process of the Measures, thereby providing robust technical support and services for the national certification of chemical parks.

The interpretation states that, for provinces that have already promulgated implementing rules and published lists of designated chemical industrial parks, the parks that have been approved must undergo a re‑evaluation in accordance with the Measures; those that fail to meet the requirements of the Measures shall be required to make rectifications within a specified time limit.

As of now, a total of 21 provinces and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps have published lists of 514 chemical industrial parks, including chemical parks, concentrated chemical zones, and parks designated to host hazardous chemical production enterprises.

Interpretation One

What is the background behind the issuance of these Measures?

Chemical industrial parks serve as a crucial platform for the development of the chemical industry, playing a pivotal role in fostering unified safety oversight, centralized environmental management, and coordinated upstream–downstream collaboration. They have thus become the primary battleground for the industry’s growth. At present, the level of development across China’s chemical parks remains uneven; some face challenges such as inadequate planning and layout, insufficient supporting infrastructure, and limited specialized regulatory capacity, resulting in elevated safety and environmental risks. There is an urgent need to introduce policies that guide the standardized development of these parks.

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to the green and safe development of chemical industrial parks. The “Notice from the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council on Issuing the ‘Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening Work Related to the Safe Production of Hazardous Chemicals’” (hereinafter referred to as the “Opinions”) calls for “formulating construction standards, accreditation criteria, and management measures for chemical industrial parks.” To implement the requirements of the “Opinions,” the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in collaboration with relevant departments, has drafted these Measures, which are intended to guide localities in standardizing park construction and carrying out accreditation and management, thereby enhancing the level of safe production and green development in chemical industrial parks.

Interpretation Two

What are the overall considerations underlying the drafting of these Measures?

The formulation of these Measures took three key considerations into account: First, ensuring full alignment with existing policies and standards. Guided by relevant national laws and regulations, the Measures are coordinated with such standards and guidelines as the Guidelines for Identifying and Addressing Safety Risks in Chemical Industrial Parks and the Comprehensive Evaluation Guidelines, while also drawing on the recognition procedures already adopted by several provinces. With green and safe development as the overarching goals, they provide a basis for each province to develop its own recognition and management measures. Second, taking into account the diverse characteristics of chemical industrial parks. Recognizing that China has a large number of such parks, each differing in geographic location and dominant industries, the Measures have established differentiated policies while ensuring that safety and environmental risks remain under control. For example, given the low winter temperatures in northern regions—where open‑channel wastewater conveyance entails high operating costs and carries a significant risk of pipe freezing and rupture—we require that wastewater discharge be handled via dedicated pipelines or open‑channel systems.

Third, strictly uphold the safety and environmental protection red lines. The Measures address the needs of chemical industrial parks in areas such as intrinsic safety, clean production, and emergency preparedness, setting forth binding performance indicators covering park establishment, management bodies, site selection, planning, safety and environmental protection, and emergency response—requirements that all provinces must meet when formulating their implementing rules.

Interpretation Three

What are the basis for drafting the Measures and their main contents?

The Measures were formulated primarily in accordance with standards and specifications including the “Guidelines for Safety Risk Identification and Remediation in Chemical Industrial Parks (Trial)” (Emergency [2019] No. 78), the “Guidelines for 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 Principles” (T/CPCIF 0054.1-2020).

The Measures comprise five chapters and 26 articles. Chapter One, General Provisions, consists of three articles, setting forth the legal basis for the formulation of these Measures, the competent authorities responsible for their administration, and the definition of chemical industrial parks. Chapter Two, Construction Standards, contains twelve articles that establish binding requirements covering park establishment, management bodies, site selection, planning, safety and environmental protection, and emergency response—basic criteria that all provinces must meet when drafting implementing rules. Chapter Three, Park Accreditation, includes three articles that specify the accreditation body and the accreditation procedure. Chapter Four, Park Management, sets out the responsibilities of local governments and relevant departments, and lays down requirements for the dynamic management of accredited chemical industrial parks, the handling of parks that fail to obtain accreditation, the oversight of newly established chemical industrial parks, as well as the periodic publication of lists of accredited parks, the number of enterprises operating within them, and information on their safety and environmental performance. Chapter Five, Supplementary Provisions, comprises three articles that clarify the obligations of local authorities and the effective date of these Measures.

Interpretation Four

What types of chemical industrial parks are there?

The Measures define a chemical industrial park as an industrial zone approved for establishment by the people’s government, oriented toward the development of the chemical industry, with clearly defined geographical boundaries and a designated management entity, and equipped with comprehensive infrastructure and a sound management system.

These primarily fall into two categories: first, professionally designated chemical industrial parks or chemical concentration zones; second, chemically‑focused zones or areas that are relatively independently established within approved economic (technological) development zones, high‑tech industrial development zones, or other industrial parks. Chemical industrial parks may be developed using models such as “enclave” arrangements or the “one zone, multiple parks” approach.

Interpretation Five

How should park designation and management be carried out in accordance with the Measures?

The Measures set forth clear requirements regarding the establishment of chemical industrial parks, their management bodies, site selection, planning, safety, environmental protection, and emergency response, serving as the fundamental guidelines for provinces in formulating implementing rules and carrying out park designation. Provincial people’s governments or their authorized agencies shall, in accordance with the principle of adhering to construction standards no lower than those stipulated in the Measures and taking into account local conditions, develop and refine regional standards for the construction of chemical industrial parks, as well as detailed rules for their designation and management and corresponding evaluation criteria. They shall also organize the designation of chemical industrial parks and, on a regular basis, conduct self-assessments and re‑inspections of parks that have already been designated.

Relevant departments of local people’s governments at all levels shall, in accordance with their respective responsibilities, be responsible for the management of chemical industrial parks. For provinces that have already promulgated implementing rules and published lists of designated chemical industrial parks, they shall, pursuant to these Measures, conduct re‑examinations of the parks that have already been approved; those failing to meet the requirements set forth in the Measures shall be required to make rectifications within a specified time limit.

Interpretation Six

How should chemical industrial parks that fail to pass the assessment be handled?

Each provincial people’s government or its authorized agency may, in accordance with the local implementation rules, adopt one of the following two measures for chemical industrial parks that have not passed certification: First, order, in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, a deadline‑driven rectification to upgrade supporting facilities and eliminate safety and environmental risks. During the rectification period, no new chemical projects or expansion/renovation of existing ones shall be approved, except for projects involving safety, environmental protection, energy conservation, or intelligent transformation. If, upon expiration of the rectification period, the park still fails to meet the required standards, it shall be shut down in accordance with the law and relevant regulations.

Second, the facility shall be shut down in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, and it shall no longer undertake any chemical‑related projects. Existing chemical enterprises within the park must be properly disposed of to eliminate potential safety and environmental risks, while also preventing secondary safety accidents and environmental pollution incidents.

Interpretation Seven

How should newly established chemical industrial parks be managed?

Given that the supporting infrastructure for the newly established chemical industrial park has not yet been completed, it does not yet meet the criteria for official designation as a chemical industrial park. Conversely, if projects are introduced only after the infrastructure is in place, this would result in a prolonged construction timeline for the park and delay the timely commencement of large-scale chemical projects.

To balance the quality of chemical park development with the orderly advancement of major chemical projects, the Measures set forth three requirements for newly established chemical parks. First, such parks must be approved for establishment by a people’s government at or above the provincial level, or by an agency authorized by it; second, any chemical projects undertaken must be included in relevant national or local plans and require the approval of the provincial people’s government or its authorized agency; third, prior to the commissioning of chemical projects within the park, the newly established chemical park must undergo certification in accordance with the provisions of these Measures.

Source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology