China News Service:
In the large achievements exhibition to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, there is a special exhibit, which is on the first environmental protection law promulgated in 1979. Over the years, the state has successively introduced a number of environmental protection laws and regulations. What work has been carried out in promoting the building of the rule of law in the area of protecting the ecological environment? Thank you.
Huang Runqiu:
Forty years ago, in 1979, the Fifth National People's Congress passed the Environmental Protection Law (for Trial Implementation). Ten years later, the Environmental Protection Law was passed in 1989. Since then, the ecological environment protection work of our country has gradually become based on the rule of law.
At present, through hard work, we have basically formed a legal and regulatory system led primarily by the Environmental Protection Law and which covers some major environmental factors such as the atmosphere, water, soil, natural ecology and nuclear safety. In particular, since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, in accordance with the spirit of the important instructions by General Secretary Xi Jinping who insisted on employing the most stringent system and the strictest rule of law to protect the ecological environment, we now focus on high-quality legislation, equally adhere to legislation, revision and repeal, so that the ecological environment rule of law system is continuously improved. In recent years, we have successively formulated and revised nine ecological and environmental laws including the Environmental Protection Law, the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the Marine Environmental Protection Law, the Environmental Impact Assessment Law, the Nuclear Safety Law and the Environmental Protection Tax Law. That is to say, since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the main laws in the field of the ecological environment have undergone a round of revisions. If a law didn't exist in the past, we filled the blanks and formulated new ones. This includes the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the Nuclear Safety Law, and the Environmental Protection Tax Law. Since its implementation in 2015, the new Environmental Protection Law has made a remarkable impact in combating environmental violations. I have a set of data here. In 2018, there were 186,000 environmental cases receiving administrative punishment in the country. In 2014, there were only 83,000 such cases. In comparison, it's an increase of 124%.
To fight the battle against pollution and promote the building of an ecological civilization, we must rely on the system and the rule of law. As the next step, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will promote the building of an ecological and civilized legal and regulatory system that is compatible with the goal of the Beautiful China Initiative.
Our next step is to work hard in two aspects: First, we must further strengthen legislation in key areas. In conjunction with the legislature, we will spare no effort to make and revise laws and regulations. These include the Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the Yangtze River Protection Law, the Regulations on the Administration of Pollutant Discharge Permits, and the Regulations on Ecological Environment Monitoring. Second, we will also vigorously promote the building of a rule-of-law-based mechanism related to the reform of the ecological civilization system, including legislations on ecological environmental damage compensation, nature reserves, ecological protection red line, etc.
