8
Z. Xie
and the Marine Environment Protection Law, and issued the Radioactive Pollution
Prevention and Control Law, the Environmental Impact Assessment Law, Cleaner
Production Promotion Law, Circular Economy Promotion Law, and other environmental laws and regulations. In terms of institutional arrangements, in order
to strengthen environmental law enforcement and local administrative intervention, the State Environmental Protection Administration established six environmental inspection centers in Northeast China, North China, Northwest China, Southwest China, East China, and South China respectively in 2006. In July 2008, the
State Environmental Protection Administration was reorganized into the Ministry of
Environmental Protection and became a ministerial-level authority under the State
Council.
The fourth period in China’s history of environment protection was 2009–2018.
Promoting the development of the ecological civilization was included in the FiveSphere Integrated Plan for the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
The Chinese government made continuous effort to improve environmental quality,
promote green development and reduce pollution, and established the Ministry of
Ecology and Environment.
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee with
Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to environmental protection and ecological civilization, incorporated ecological civilization into the FiveSphere Integrated Plan for the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, promoted green development and the harmonious coexistence of man and nature,
strengthen pollution control, promulgated the Ten Regulations on Air, Water, and Soil
Pollution Control, developed the Master Plan for the Ecological Civilization System
Reform, and put into place the central environmental protection inspection system
and other important systems. According to the new requirements for the development of the ecological civilization, major amendments have been made to a series
of 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, and the Marine Environment Protection Law.
The Environmental Protection Law was revised in 2014 to give teeth to the law. The
National People’s Congress adopted the Soil Pollution Prevention Law in 2018. A
relatively complete legal system for environmental protection in China took shape.
China started to assume a leading role in the global efforts for the development of
the ecological civilization.
In October 2017, at the 19th National Congress of the CPC, it was pointed
out that as socialism with Chinese characteristics had entered a new era, the principal contradiction facing Chinese society has evolved, and that what China now
faced was the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and
the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life. After China entered the new era
of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the requirements for the environmental
protection underwent significant changes. First, the focus of institutional arrangements and governance concepts should shift from growth to environment protection.
This means that resource conservation and environment protection authorities must
Z. Xie
and the Marine Environment Protection Law, and issued the Radioactive Pollution
Prevention and Control Law, the Environmental Impact Assessment Law, Cleaner
Production Promotion Law, Circular Economy Promotion Law, and other environmental laws and regulations. In terms of institutional arrangements, in order
to strengthen environmental law enforcement and local administrative intervention, the State Environmental Protection Administration established six environmental inspection centers in Northeast China, North China, Northwest China, Southwest China, East China, and South China respectively in 2006. In July 2008, the
State Environmental Protection Administration was reorganized into the Ministry of
Environmental Protection and became a ministerial-level authority under the State
Council.
The fourth period in China’s history of environment protection was 2009–2018.
Promoting the development of the ecological civilization was included in the FiveSphere Integrated Plan for the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
The Chinese government made continuous effort to improve environmental quality,
promote green development and reduce pollution, and established the Ministry of
Ecology and Environment.
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee with
Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to environmental protection and ecological civilization, incorporated ecological civilization into the FiveSphere Integrated Plan for the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, promoted green development and the harmonious coexistence of man and nature,
strengthen pollution control, promulgated the Ten Regulations on Air, Water, and Soil
Pollution Control, developed the Master Plan for the Ecological Civilization System
Reform, and put into place the central environmental protection inspection system
and other important systems. According to the new requirements for the development of the ecological civilization, major amendments have been made to a series
of 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, and the Marine Environment Protection Law.
The Environmental Protection Law was revised in 2014 to give teeth to the law. The
National People’s Congress adopted the Soil Pollution Prevention Law in 2018. A
relatively complete legal system for environmental protection in China took shape.
China started to assume a leading role in the global efforts for the development of
the ecological civilization.
In October 2017, at the 19th National Congress of the CPC, it was pointed
out that as socialism with Chinese characteristics had entered a new era, the principal contradiction facing Chinese society has evolved, and that what China now
faced was the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and
the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life. After China entered the new era
of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the requirements for the environmental
protection underwent significant changes. First, the focus of institutional arrangements and governance concepts should shift from growth to environment protection.
This means that resource conservation and environment protection authorities must