Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2014

• Date: 01 May 2015

5-2015 NEWS & ANALYSIS 45 ELR 10419

C O M M E N T S

Annual Review of Chinese

Environmental Law

Developments: 2014

by Mingqing You and Yan Wang

Mingqing You is a researcher at the Gansu Provincial Legal Research Center of Circular Economy

and Sustainable Development, and a lawyer with Hubei Zhong He Xin Law Firm. Yan Wang is an

environmental law graduate student at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.

I. Introduction

e year 2014 witnessed major achievements in Chinese

environmental law, particularly the revision of the basic

environmental protection legislation. ese achievements

were based in part on recent policy developments by the

Communist Party of China (CPC). In its 18th National

Congress, held in 2012, the CPC proposed the notion of

“a beautif ul China” and emphasized environmental pro-

tection.1 e 18th CPC Central Committee convened

its third plenary session, known as the ird Plenum, in

November 2013 in Beijing. e meeting resulted in adop-

tion of the “Decision of the Central Committee of the

Communist Party of China on Some Major Issues Con-

cerning Comprehensively Deepening the Reform,”2 as well

as a communiqué.3 In 2014, the 18th CPC Centra l Com-

mittee convened its fourth plenary session and adopted a

1. H J, G S   CPC, F M  

P  S W C C  S  C-

  B   M P S  A R-

 (2012), available at http://www.china.org.cn/china/18th_cpc_con-

gress/2012-11/16/content_27137540.htm.  Mingqing You & Jiaqi

Liu, Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2012, 43

ELR 10418 (May 2013).

2. Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

(CPC) on Some Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening the

Reform (adopted by the CPC Central Committee Nov. 12, 2013), avail

able at http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-11/15/c_118164235.

htm (Chinese) [hereinafter Decision of the ird Plenum of the 18th CPC

Central Committee].   Mingqing You & Gengzheng Wang, Annual

Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2013, 44 ELR 10465

(June 2014).

3. Communiqué of the ird Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee

of the CPC (adopted by the CPC Central Committee Nov. 12, 2013), avail

able at http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-11/12/c_118113455.

htm (Chinese) and http://www.china.org.cn/china/third_plenary_ses-

resolution on rule of law.4 As discu ssed below, these recent

policy developments made their way into the environmen-

tal lawmaking process and became embodied in new rules.

II. Revision of the Environmental

Protection Law

e Environmental Protection Law (EPL) of the People’s

Republic of China is China’s basic environmental legisla-

tion. It was adopted in 1979 for trial implementation,5 and

formally adopted in 1989.6 However, serious environmen-

tal pollution and ecological disruption or deterioration still

has occurred over the past 30 years,7 causing unequal eects

among the people.8 e public was dissatised with envi-

sion/2014-01/15/content_31203056.htm (English).  You &Wang,

supra note 2.

4. Resolut ion o f the CPC Cent ral C ommittee on Certain Majo r Iss ues

Concern ing Comprehe nsively Advan cing the Law-Ba sed Governanc e of

China (ap proved by the CPC Cen tral Committe e Oct. 23, 2014), avail

able a t http://cpc.people.com.cn/n/2014/1029/c64387-25927606.

html (C hinese).

5. Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China (for trial

implementation) (adopted in principle by the Standing Comm. Nat’l Peo-

ple’s Cong., Sept. 13, 1979, eective Sept. 13, 1979), available at http://

www.law-lib.com/law/law_view.asp?id=44003.

6. Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China (adopted

by the Standing Comm. Nat’l People’s Cong., Dec. 26, 1989, eective Dec.

26, 1989), available at http://www.law-lib.com/law/law_view.asp?id=6229.

7. , Shunsuke Managi & Shinji Kaneko, Environmental Performance

and Returns to Pollution Abatement in China, 68 E E. 1643

(2009); Holly A. Michael, An Arsenic Forecast for China, S, Aug. 23,

2013, at 852; M  E P   P’

R  C (MEP), N B  S   P-

’ R  C (NBS),  M  A  

P’ R  C (MOA), R   F N

G S  P S (2010), available at http://www.

zhb.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/bgg/201002/W020100210571553247154.pdf; Luis

Rodríguez-Lado et al., Groundwater Arsenic Contamination roughout

China, S, Aug. 23, 2013, at 866.

8. Chunbo Ma, 

, 69 E E. 1869

(2010); Ethan D. Schoolman & Chunbo Ma, Migration, Class and Envi

ronmental Inequality: Exposure to Pollution in China’s Jiangsu Province, 75

E E. 140 (2012); Xiaoli Zhao et al., Environmental External

Authors’ Note: Mingqing You is also an associate professor of

       

Law, in Wuhan, China. e Gansu Provincial Legal Research

       

located in Lanzhou, China.

Copyright © 2015 Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, DC. Reprinted with permission from ELR®, http://www.eli.org, 1-800-433-5120.