The fourth Central Government Environmental Inspection Team stationed in Anhui Province a couple of days ago upon the approval of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, in a bid to launch environmental inspection there, as part of the efforts to implement the guidelines of the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on promoting ecological progress and protecting the environment, and the major decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. The inspection team held a mobilization meeting in Hefei, the capital city of Anhui Province in East China on Apr. 27. The team leader Zhu Zhixin and deputy team leader Zhai Qing delivered remarks on doing well in the inspection. Secretary of the CPC Anhui provincial committee Li Jinbin delivered a mobilization speech. The meeting was chaired by Li Guoying, Governor of the provincial government.

Zhu Zhixin pointed out that the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has taken all factors into consideration while implementing the overall plan for promoting economic, political, social, cultural and ecological progresses and balanced and promoted the “four-pronged comprehensive strategy”; it has put ecological development and environmental protection at a more important, strategic position. The environmental protection inspection is one of the major institutional arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council for promoting ecological progress and protecting the environment. General Secretary Xi Jinping highly valued it and required taking it as a cutting point to promote ecological progress, highlighting the equal responsibility of the Party and the government for environmental protection, and tightening the implementation of “one position with two responsibilities” system. With respect to the pilot inspection in Hebei Province, General Secretary Xi made important instructions and required adhering to the problem-oriented principle, putting great efforts in revealing problems, being brave to take a serious attitude, paying close attention to this task, and making new headways with the ecological progress. In December 2016, Xi made important instructions once again on promoting ecological progress and required intensifying the environmental inspection, seriously investigating and punishing disciplinary and legal violations, making strenuous efforts to address pressing ecological problems, and enabling the public to perceive the improving ecological environment.

Zhu Zhixin stressed that the inspection team stationed in Anhui to, first and foremost, check whether the provincial Party committee and provincial government have well implemented the national decisions and deployments for environmental protection, solved pressing environmental problems, and taken the main responsibility for protecting the environment in the province. The team will adhere to the problem-oriented principle, monitor closely the pressing environmental problems that have raised high attention of the central authorities, are strongly complained by the public, and have bad social ramifications, as well as how they are settled; inspect the areas and watersheds that have experienced deteriorating environmental quality and how they have been treated; check whether immediate actions have been taken to rectify the living environment problems reported by the people; check if there is any nonfeasance or misconduct by the local Party committee and relevant government departments; and check the performances of local Party committees and governments in sharing the responsibility for protecting the environment, how the “one position with two responsibilities” system has been implemented, and how the liabilities are accounted for. The party committees and governments at all levels in Anhui should work closely around the overall plan for promoting economic, political, social, cultural, and ecological progresses and the “four-pronged comprehensive strategy”, firmly embrace the “four kinds of awareness”, implement the new development concepts, and make sure the major decisions and deployments of the central authorities to take root and yield substantial effects.

In response, Li Jinbin said the environmental protection inspection represents a major institutional innovation launched by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council in promoting the ecological progress and protecting the environment. It is a touchstone of the province’s performance in developing the “four-facet awareness” and implementing the central authorities’ decisions and deployments, an invaluable opportunity for accelerating the implementation of the new development ideas and the promotion of the ecological progress, a major approach to implementing the people-centered development concept and raising the people’s sense of gain, and a major move to transmit pressure and tighten the responsibilities for environmental protection. Li Jinbin stressed that the local government departments at all levels should continue to implement the guidelines of the major statements of General Secretary Xi Jinping especially those of the one made during his inspection tour to Anhui, as well as the important decisions and deployments of the central authorities on promoting the ecological progress and protecting the environment. They should take it as a major political mission to cooperate with the inspection team and provide adequate support. Also, they should reflect the information truthfully and refrain from shunning, exaggeration, and misleading, and allow the inspection team to get truth information and check the essential problems. They should not tolerate any data fraud, favoritism, irregularity, concealing and false information, or collision and antagonism. They should take the rare opportunity the inspection presents, rectify the problems radically, strive to build Anhui into an exemplary model for promoting ecological progress, and accelerate the building of a green and beautiful homeland in the Yangtze River and Huaihe River basins.

At the meeting, Zhai Qing proposed requirements for cooperating well with the inspection team, overseeing the rectifications, sharing the information, and providing adequate conditions for the inspection. Members of the inspection team, officials concerned with the National Office of Environmental Protection Inspection, and leadership of the provincial Party committee and provincial government attended the meeting. Leading officials of the provincial people’s congress and local political advisory committees, leading officials of the relevant departments under the provincial Party committee and government, as well as the leadership of municipal Party committee and municipal government of the provincial capital city observed the meeting. The leading officials of the Party committees and governments of other prefectural cities (counties directly under the provincial government), as well as the persons-in-charge of relevant departments observed the meeting via video teleconference.

The fourth Central Government Environmental Inspection Team is scheduled to be stationed in Anhui for about one month from Apr. 27 to May 27. The telephone is 0551-62631567. The postal address is Mailbox #9201, Hefei Municipality. The inspection team will take phone calls between 08:00 and 20:00. According to the requirements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and the terms of reference of the inspection team, the team will accept and process complaints by letter and by telephone in respect of environmental protection in Anhui. Other problems falling out of the purview of the team will be transferred to the regions, organizations and departments concerned.