China is drafting a law on the circular economy to provide legal framework for sustainable development.

The draft law on the circular economy would be submitted to the Standing Committee of National People's Congress (NPC) for review in August 2007, according to a source from a national forum on the circular economy held here.

A preliminary draft of the law was discussed at the forum by about 300 delegates from governments, legislatures, enterprises, non-governmental organizations and academic circles.

The preliminary draft includes provisions on resources exploitation and conservation, wastes recovering and recycling and sustainable consumption.

More than 10 provinces and municipalities in China have already promulgated local regulations on the circular economy, which serve as reference in drafting the national circular economy law, according to Mao Rubai, chairman of the NPC's Environment and Resources Committee.

The forum was sponsored by the NPC Environmental and Resources Protection Committee, State Environmental Protection Administration, National Development and Reform commission, and Ministry of Science and Technology.

The core of the circular economy is to maintain friendliness to the environment in the process of economic development by making a full and efficient use of resources and energies and minimize waste discharge.

It features low consumption of energy, low emission of pollutants and high efficiency, through its 3-R principle: reduce, reuse, and recycle.