Guidelines for Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for Project Loans of the China Export and Import Bank

Scope of Application

Standards for processing and overseeing all loans within the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank).

Purpose

Offers basic guidance to implement environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs) and manage risks.

General Key Points

China Exim Bank should:

Abide by host countries' laws and regulations.
Ensure domestic projects follow the Chinese Government’s policy of energy conservation and pollution reduction.
Ensure domestic projects follow the Chinese Government’s policy of restraining loan commitments for industries with excessive or inefficient pollution, energy consumption, and surplus production capacity.

Key Points on Stakeholder Engagement

China Exim Bank should:

Respect local people’s rights to land and resources.
Properly handle resettlement problems.
Ensure locals are consulted in accordance with host country requirements for overseas projects with serious adverse environmental impacts.

Key Points on Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

China Exim Bank should:

Consider economic, social, and environmental demands.
Conduct social impact assessments (SIAs) that include labor and terms of employment, social security and health, land acquisition, and protection for migrants.
- Assess socioeconomic impacts, as well as impacts on natural resources and the social environment.
- Propose policies and measures to reduce that impact.
Ensure ESIAs abide by host countries’ environmental policies and standards.
- If host countries’ standards are inadequate, Chinese or international standards should be used.
Fully consider factors of resource conservation and environmental protection when providing credit support.
Inspect the post-loan management of projects' environmental and social impacts.
Consider requiring the inclusion of environmental and social responsibilities in loan contracts with developers and contractors.