Hong Kong Bauhinia Magazine:

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, especially after the official implementation of the so-called "strictest-ever" environmental protection law, everyone has felt that environmental protection law enforcement has been strengthened and that its "teeth have grown." May I ask Mr. Zhai what work the MEE has done in environmental protection law enforcement? What progress has been made in this regard, and what's the next step?

Zhai Qing:

Thanks for your questions. The law enforcement concerning the ecological environment is the basic work of ecological conservation and environmental protection, which is of great importance. General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed on many occasions that "protecting the environment requires the best institutional arrangements and the strictest rule of law" and that we must never be lenient in punishing actions that damage our eco-environment. Over the past 10 years, we have insisted on promoting eco-environmental protection law enforcement with the greatest sense of responsibility, the strictest law enforcement, and the best sense of assistance, showing the morale of the ecological environment law enforcement teams in the new era, and playing an important role in supporting the continuous quality improvement of the ecological environment.

First, the MEE has acted with a great sense of responsibility and mission in the critical battle against pollution. We have closely focused on the key campaigns in pollution prevention and control, adhered to a problem-oriented approach, and followed a principle of addressing the issues through to the end. Once a problem is found, the MEE will make a record and supervise the following implementation and rectification measures, removing the last crucial hurdle for policy implementation.

For example, for five consecutive years since 2017, we have coordinated nearly 50,000 competent people of the ecology and environment sectors and taken more than 1,300 days to carry out 105 rounds of activities focusing on air pollution prevention and control supervision and assistance. These activities have been carried out in key areas such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, its surrounding areas, and the like, one round closely after another. Moreover, during the busy times, we can only rest for a few days each year during the Spring Festival holiday. More than 2.1 million locations have been inspected and over 280,000 air pollution problems have been addressed, effectively advancing the continuous improvement of air quality in key regions.

For another example, since the end of 2018, we have been launching pilots in large-scale investigations of sewage outlets into seas and rivers. Starting from the main flow of the Yangtze River and nine major tributaries, such as the Minjiang River, we have carried out a remote-sensing investigation utilizing drones flying over 2,300 sorties, covering an area of 46,000 square kilometers. Based on remote sensing, we have adopted a thorough-going approach, drafted 4,600 backbone forces nationwide, and grouped them into 1,263 working units. They have traveled more than 180,000 kilometers along the shorelines and identified a variety of 60,292 sewage outlets, 30 times the number that local governments acquired before. To identify these sewage outlets, the working units have overcome difficulties beyond imagination along the shorelines, resorted to some technologies and taken one step to another. As you all know, water pollutants come from outlets. Therefore, it is of great significance and worthwhile for us to identify and regulate these outlets, which will also lay an important foundation for the continuous improvement of the water eco-environment in the future. Currently, investigations are being carried out in the Yellow River basin and other basins.

Second, we have firmly upheld the authority of laws. We have continued to strengthen law enforcement, ensured that laws are obeyed and strictly enforced and lawbreakers are prosecuted, and taken practical measures to ensure that laws and regulations of eco-environmental protection are implemented and deliver results. Here are two groups of data. Since implementing the new environmental protection law in 2015, we have investigated and handled over 170,000 major cases, such as cases involving consecutive daily punishment. Administrative punishments had been imposed on 833,000 environmental issues nationwide during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, a 1.4-fold increase over the 12th Five-Year Plan period.

Meanwhile, we have also improved the mechanism that dovetails administrative law enforcement and criminal justice. We have severely investigated and handled two typical cases of forgery of environmental monitoring data in 2016 and 2018, with 23 people prosecuted for criminal responsibility. It was the first time in environmental protection history that sentences were given due to data forgery. Among the 23 people, sentences were given of up to two years and at least six months, forming a powerful deterrent. While imposing severe punishment on enterprises deliberately violating the laws, we have continued to develop better ways of law enforcement. An oversight model using randomly selected inspectors to inspect randomly selected entities and requiring the prompt release of results has been implemented across the board. Explorations have been made to incorporate over 420,000 enterprises into the positive list for category-based oversight. We have rolled out more off-sight law enforcement to see that law-abiding enterprises are left alone. In addition, in law enforcement, we have widely adopted advanced technology and equipment such as satellite remote sensing, drones, uncrewed ships, and mobile law enforcement facilities, greatly enhancing our teams' capacity to identify problems.

Third, we have made every effort to protect people's environmental rights and interests. We have launched special campaigns to protect centralized drinking-water source areas for four consecutive years. We have addressed 10,363 problems in 2,804 drinking-water source areas and resolved a series of acute issues, strongly safeguarding the environmental safety of drinking water for 770 million people. We have launched special campaigns to control emissions of waste incineration power plants to meet the required standards. All waste incineration power plants are asked to install online monitoring facilities. We also require these power plants to set up a display screen in a prominent place at the gate, demonstrating their emission data. In addition, these power plants should give access to the data to supervisory and regulatory authorities at all levels. The data is subject to real-time monitoring and made public. At the same time, we have worked with relevant departments to make comprehensive policies and measures and urged enterprises to fully implement environmental protection laws and regulations. As things stand now, this special campaign has attained notable results. Over 99% of all waste incineration power plants meet the required standards in terms of five air pollutants emissions and furnace temperatures. We have profoundly changed public opinion on waste incineration enterprises and greatly enhanced the rapid development of the waste incineration industry.

Here are some data. The number of waste incineration plants has increased from 278 in 2017 to 825. Moreover, the number of waste incinerators has risen from 679 in 2017 to 1,826, with an increase of 197% and 169%, respectively. The daily waste disposal amount has increased from 245,000 tonnes to 926,000 tonnes, with an increase of 278%, providing important guarantees for the healthy development of cities.

Fourth, we have made notable progress in building law enforcement teams. Eco-environmental law enforcement teams have been officially listed in the national comprehensive administrative law enforcement ranks and have taken the lead in wearing uniforms. We have launched law enforcement drills for six consecutive years and improved the team's capacity through training and drills. Over the years, more than 80,000 law enforcement officers have fought on the frontline of pollution prevention and control. They have made contributions outside of the spotlight to improve the environment continuously. A group of role models, such as Comrade Chen Ben of the Wenling environmental monitoring team of Zhejiang province, who sacrificed his life at the frontline of law enforcement, have stood out. Many comrades worked over holidays and worked day and night. Some comrades stayed in spots for several nights to identify environmental hazards. With life and sweat, they have practiced the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping to develop an iron army with strong political convictions, professional capacity, impeccable conduct and a strong sense of responsibility, and being able to work under pressure, persevere, and dedicate themselves to the cause of environmental protection.

Going forward, we will firmly carry out strict law enforcement, continue to develop better ways of law enforcement, improve law enforcement efficacy, and forge an iron army for eco-environmental protection to make more remarkable contributions to building a beautiful China. Thank you.