Laws to protect the environment in China will be further strengthened in the next five years as enforcement will be enhanced, Environmental Protection Minister Chen Jining said on Monday.
Addressing the 2015 Annual General Meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), Chen said that environmental laws not only support the rule of law but also promotes environmental management reform.
The 13th Five-Year Plan states that China has pledged to embrace a "green" development model and to implement a stricter environmental protection system.
China is determined to promote green development and lifestyle, Vice-Premier and CCICED Chairman Zhang Gaoli said Monday, adding that prevention and treatment of air, water and soil pollution will be consolidated in the next five years.
One of the keys to successful environmental management is to enforce the law, Arthur Hanson, CCICED's chief international adviser, told the Global Times. He added that for industries in particular, environmental risks, such as the chemical industry, should be fully recognized.
The CCICED has recommended the establishment of a national committee on environmental risks to further control and reduce such risks.
CCICED, a high-level international advisory body on the environment and development founded in 1992, is convened between Monday and Wednesday with the theme of enabling governance capacity for green transformation.
