Top legislature holds joint inquiry meeting on environmental, resource protection

BEIJING -- China's top legislature on Sunday held a joint meeting to deliberate and inquire about three reports on ecological environment and resource conservation.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, attended the meeting.

Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the meeting and delivered a speech.

The reports on law enforcement and judicial work in the field of ecological environment and resource conservation were presented by the State Council, the Supreme People's Court (SPC), and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).

Lawmakers asked questions during the inquiry.

State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong, SPC President Zhang Jun and SPP Procurator-general Ying Yong, as well as officials from relevant central government agencies, attended the meeting to hear suggestions and answer questions.

Li said that the country's endeavors for ecological civilization have seen historic, transformative, and comprehensive changes since the Party's 18th National Congress in 2012, achieving remarkable success.

Noting that the coming five years will be critical to the building of a Beautiful China, Li urged efforts to advance the rule of law in ecological environment and resource conservation, and establish a sound and complete legal system in this regard.

Wang said that State Council and relative departments will enhance their abilities in combating and preventing crimes in environmental resources, striving to support high-quality development with high-standard law enforcement.

Zhang said that people's courts will actively respond to people's ever-growing needs for a better life, and further serve Chinese modernization by modernizing the adjudication of environmental and resource cases to implement the concept of harmony between humanity and nature into specific adjudicative work.

In his remarks, Ying said the country's procuratorial organs will handle every environmental and resource case in a high-quality and efficient manner to contribute to further progress in the development of ecological civilization.