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East China's Fujian Province plans to invest at least 70 billion yuan (8.43 billion US dollars) in making it an "ecological province".

The plan is aiming for a sustainable development which achieves a balance in economic growth, environmental conservation and the use of natural resources within 20 years.

Announced by Fujian Governor Xi Jinpin in Beijing recently, the plan has been submitted to a national experts panel for discussion and professional advice.

Xi said Fujian hoped to gain both economic and ecological benefits, adding that the province would consider ecological impacts when making economic decisions, and would encourage the development of environmentally-friendly farming and industry, and eco-tourism.

Systems to ensure rational use of natural resources like forests, sea, land, water and minerals, would be established, and the living environment in urban and rural areas would be improved, Xi said.

The total cost of projects under the plan is estimated at 71.6 billion yuan (8.63 billion dollars), including 37 billion yuan (4.45 billion dollars) to be invested by the year 2005.

Fujian, together with Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces in the north and Hainan in the south, pioneered China's provincial-level experiment to integrate the idea of sustainable development into its overall development plan, according to officials with the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).

Nearly 400 counties and cities nationwide have also restructured local industries and improved the environment after they were designated as "pilot ecological districts" by SEPA.

Calling it an effective attempt to deal with China's ecological problems, SEPA director Xie Zhenhua said the nation would work harder to achieve a "win-win" result in both economic growth and environmental protection.

China's environment had paid a high price in the past due to backward methods of development, which consumed too much energy while producing excessive pollution, Xie said.

"If methods of sustainable development are not taken now, China's environmental problems will get worse as the pace of industrialization and urbanization speeds up," he said.