Environmental impact needs to be assessed in administrative decisions

China has introduced a regulation on the ecological and environmental protection responsibilities of local Party and government leaders, marking a step forward in its efforts to establish foundational systems for building an ecological civilization.

Jointly issued on Tuesday by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, China's Cabinet, the regulation outlines the major duties of local leaders and sets out penalties for failing to fulfill them.

By aligning authority with responsibility and defining both rewards and punishments, the regulation aims to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and support China's high-quality development through enhanced ecological protection and progress toward the goal of building a "Beautiful China".

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Local officials must decisively abandon the practice of sacrificing the environment for short-term or localized economic gains, the document stresses. Instead, they are urged to adopt a people-centered approach and accelerate efforts to address pressing environmental issues that matter most to the public.

The regulation requires that Party and government leaders at the county level and above assess the environmental impact and benefits of major administrative decisions. They must prioritize policies that support the green transformation of industries, energy use, transportation and urban-rural development.

Officials are also tasked with overseeing the rectification of violations identified during environmental inspections, conducting targeted investigations, assessing ecological security risks and ensuring the achievement of binding targets for improving environmental quality and reducing emissions.

The regulation further mandates that leaders must strengthen fiscal support for the development of a Beautiful China, with investment levels aligned to the scope of related construction tasks.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is responsible for interpreting the regulation, in consultation with the CPC Central Committee's Organization Department.

The ministry has made issuing the regulation a top priority in its push to strengthen systems that support ecological civilization. In an article published in People's Daily in August, Sun Jinlong, Party chief of the ministry, described the regulation as a key step in this effort.

Calling the construction of an ecological civilization a complex and long-term endeavor, Sun stressed the need to tighten environmental inspections, improve assessments of progress and enforce accountability among local leaders.

The regulation makes performance evaluations a central focus of environmental protection inspections conducted by both central and provincial authorities. These evaluations will be linked to audits of natural resource assets conducted when officials leave their posts, forming a combined supervisory mechanism. The regulation also calls on CPC organization departments at all levels to make ecological progress a key criterion in evaluating officials.

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It lists a range of situations in which Party and government leaders will be held accountable under relevant regulations and disciplinary measures. These include selective enforcement of directives from central authorities, decisions that violate policies or laws, and actions that result in significant environmental degradation.

China has previously issued a series of documents aimed at strengthening accountability for ecological protection. A 2022 guideline from the CPC Central Committee's General Office, for instance, stipulated that leading officials who clearly make improper decisions or fail to fully justify their actions will face dismissal if their actions cause environmental harm.

Contact the writer at houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn