Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) forms a generally accepted concept to ensure
sustainable development in the coastal zone. The implementation of the ICZM framework as
formulated, e.g. by the World Coast Conference, is often constrained by the political system within
which it should be applied. This is the case in the People’s Republic of China. This study takes a
political science perspective based on approaches inherent in neo-institutional and administrative
theories. This way the relevant political structures are explained and the impacts that the
transformation of the socio-economic system had on institutions are located. This is extended by the
reflection of related political power distribution. This part of the analysis mainly contains existing
knowledge on (integrated) CZM in China but evaluates it from a so far neglected point of view. The
second part of the paper is taking the successful local ICZM approach of Xiamen and a proposed
approach for Shanghai as an example to show that the adaptation of a working approach to other parts
of the country is impossible without modifications to the organizational structures of decision-making
and implementation. So far the literature emphasizes mostly modifications in content. An important
reason for structural elements being comparably important is the choice of ICZM issues and the local
power distribution. It furthermore shows that these are also the determining factors obstructing the
upscaling of a local approach to the national level, a fact which constrains the formulation of national
guidelines in China and leaves only the bottom-up alternative of introducing ICZM to China – a hard
task that leaves a disproportional responsibility to the local governmental level.