China's brand new environmental code will further solidify the legal foundation for achieving modernization where humanity and nature can coexist in harmony, a Chinese spokesman said on Wednesday.
Lou Qinjian, spokesman for the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), was speaking at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday, one day before the annual session of the NPC, China's national legislature, gets underway.
Chinese lawmakers are set to deliberate on the draft environmental code during the session, with the measure set to offer a significant enhancement in the country's green efforts, with a focus on pollution prevention and control, ecological protection, and green and low-carbon development.
"The environmental code will be China's second law named as a 'code.' Its compilation is not a simple collection of existing laws, nor is it entirely new legislation. Instead, it is a systematic integration, revision, and elevation of current ecological and environmental legal systems and rules," said the spokesman.
Lou noted that the code is a symbol of the rule of law in the new era. Ecological civilization has been written into the Constitution and has become the common will of the Chinese people, and guided by the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," the socialist ecological and environmental legal system with Chinese characteristics and ecological civilization have largely taken shape, he said.
"In reality, China's economic and social development has entered a stage of accelerated high-quality green and low-carbon growth. We need the strictest systems and most rigorous rule of law to protect the environment and promote green development. Previously, environmental legislation was fragmented, leading to duplication and inconsistency. Codifying these laws will improve their systematic, holistic, and coordinated effectiveness," said Lou.
The spokesman further stressed that the the upgrading of such existing environmental laws into a 'code' will further strengthen the country's overall efforts to meet its continuing ecological protection and green development goals.
"We are adopting a moderate approach to codification. First, existing laws on environmental protection and pollution control will be incorporated into the code, and the original laws will be repealed after the code is enacted. Second, key provisions from laws on river basins, regions, natural resources, biodiversity, circular economy, and energy conservation will be included. Third, the code will set out certain principled and guiding provisions for climate change, carbon peaking and neutrality, and green low-carbon development, leaving room for future legal development and ensuring the code's timeliness and foresight," he said.
Environmental code to strengthen legal basis for human harmony with nature: spokesman
