On Apr. 23, the Vice Chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee Shen Yueyue headed an inspection team to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment to check the progress in the implementation of the opinions on the compliance inspection of the solid waste pollution control law. Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Minister Li Ganjie presented at the symposium and delivered a report.

Shen noted that since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, under the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China has protected its environment with unprecedented efforts, unparalleled determination, and record high achievements. The MEE and relevant State departments have resolutely implemented the guiding principles of the major instructions of the General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee, generated a lot of fruitful outcomes in respect of fulfilling the responsibilities for preventing and controlling the pollution by solid wastes, taking into consideration the solid waste treatment in both urban and rural areas, working to develop green lifestyles, constantly improving the hazardous waste daily regulation system, and moving forward with the institutional reforms on the import management of solid wastes. All those efforts have significantly advanced the control of pollution by solid wastes in China.

Shen stressed that the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC has resolutely implemented the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and put into its 2018 legislative and supervision agenda the follow-up supervision of the compliance inspection of the solid waste pollution control law, and the amendments to this law and other related laws. Moreover, this year's compliance inspection will focus on the air pollution control law and marine environmental protection law. Efforts will be made to put up a tough fight against pollution.

Shen required that we should vigorously promote the prevention and control of pollution by solid wastes as well as their "reduction, recycle, and decontamination". We should press ahead with the classification and treatment of municipal solid wastes and promote the integrated rural environment management, livestock and poultry breeding waste treatment, and other major projects in the interests of the people. We should step up the whole-process management of hazardous wastes, strictly prevent, control, and crack down on the illegal transfer and dumping of hazardous wastes to different places, resolutely block the regulatory loopholes, and cut down the environmental risks from the pollution of hazardous wastes. We should promote from all dimensions the institutional reforms on the importation management of solid wastes and severely crack down on all sorts of environmental incompliances during the importation and processing of solid wastes. We should make overall plans to coordinate the enforcement of the policies and laws on solid waste, air, water, and soil pollution control, and jointly control the above sorts of pollution. In particular, we should highlight the priority areas, take effective measures, and work harder at air pollution control. We should make solid progress in the compliance inspection of the air pollution control law, and move forward with the tough battle against air pollution.

In his briefing, Li said that since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has highly valued the control of pollution by solid wastes and hazardous wastes, and General Secretary Xi Jinping has made multiple instructions on this matter. The MEE has thoroughly implemented Xi's instructions and the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and earnestly acted upon the opinions and recommendations put forward by the NPC Standing Committee on compliance inspection. It will continue to promote the control of pollution by solid wastes.

First, we will fulfill the responsibilities for the control of the pollution by solid wastes. We will further task the local Party committees, governments, and waste generators with such responsibilities through launching the central environmental protection inspection and thematic inspections. We will make plans for sorting out and treating municipal solid wastes and enable the waste incinerators to attain emission standards. We will guide the consumers to adopt green packaging and strengthen information sharing and public participation.

Second, we will step up the management of the imported wastes and hazardous wastes. We will update the list of the imported wastes, rigorously control the approval of the importation of solid wastes, and strengthen the compliance inspection on the imported waste processors. We will crack down on the illegal transfer and dumping of hazardous wastes, work with relevant departments to investigate into a batch of typical cases, ask the hazardous waste generators and the local governments to perform their responsibilities, and promote the in-situ disposal of hazardous wastes.

Third, we will vigorously support the amendments to the solid waste pollution control law. We will, in accordance with the 2018 legislative agenda of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC, and based on the compliance inspection results, work with relevant departments to conduct in-depth studies on the amendments to this law, and prepare a draft proposal to the amendments.

In the next step, MEE will follow the guidance of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics, focus on the improvement of the ecological and environmental quality, unswervingly promote the prevention and control of pollution by solid wastes, and resolutely put up a tough fight against pollution. We will increase the people's senses of gain, of happiness, and of safety and work faster to build a beautiful China with blue skies, green lands, and clean waters.

Shen visited the exhibitions on China's ecological and environmental protection efforts over the past few years and inquired about the plan-making and implementation progress of the major tasks.

Chairperson of the Environment Protection and Resources Conservation Committee (EPRCC) of the NPC Gao Hucheng, Vice Chairperson Dou Shuhua, members Wang Yi and Cheng Lifeng, as well as other officials with the EPRCC and the departments under the Legislative Affairs Commission presented at the symposium.

MEE Vice Ministers Huang Runqiu, Zhai Qing, Zhao Yingmin, and Liu Hua, Leader of the Discipline Inspection Group Wu Haiying, and Vice Minister Zhuang Guotai attended the symposium.

Participants also included the persons-in-charge of the internal departments and of the affiliated institutions of the MEE.