Aug. 1 (Xinhua)-Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang signed No.682 Order of the State Council recently, announcing the Decision of the State Council on the Amendments to the Regulations on the Environmental Management of Construction Projects, which shall enter into force as of Oct. 1, 2017.

On Aug. 1, Vice Minister Zhao Yingmin presided over the half-year wrap-up meeting on international cooperation on environmental protection.

On Aug. 2, MEP released the Technical Policies on Prevention and Control of Pollution by Paper-making Industry.

On Aug. 10, MEP issued an announcement on the registration and ratification of new chemical substances in the first six months of the year for environmental management.

On Aug. 15, MEP issued an announcement that the Minamata Convention on Mercury shall officially enter into force as of Aug. 16, 2017 in China.

On Aug. 15, upon the approval of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the eight (the fourth batch) central environmental protection inspection teams stationed in Jilin, Zhejiang, Shandong, Hainan, Sichuan, Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang (Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps included) to launch environmental inspection.

On Aug. 18, Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Minister Li Ganjie presided over a meeting of the Leading Party Members’ Group, which deliberated and adopted in principle the Review Plan for the Implementation of the Eight-point Frugality Code by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and Disciplinary Regulations of the Central Environmental Protection Inspection, and heard report on six supplementary plans of the Action Plan for the Integrated Air Pollution Control in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region and Surrounding Areas during 2017-2018 Autumn and Winter. Vice Ministers Zhai Qing, Zhao Yingmin, and Liu Hua, and Leader of the Discipline Inspection Group Wu Haiying presented at the meeting. Directors General of relevant internal departments observed the meeting.

On Aug. 21, MEP printed and distributed the Action Plan for the Integrated Air Pollution Control in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region and Surrounding Areas during 2017-2018 Autumn and Winter.

On Aug. 22, MEP held a symposium in Beijing on the implementation of the Implementation Plan for Banning Foreign Solid Wastes and Promoting the Institutional Reform on Solid Waste Import Management. Minister Li Ganjie presented and delivered remarks at the symposium. Persons in charge of such implementation from the people’s governments of Tianjin, Hebei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, and Guangdong, as well as State commissions and departments including NDRC, MIIT, MPS, MHURD, MOC, GAC, SAIC, and AQSIQ presented and spoke at the symposium.

On Aug. 23, MEP adopted national environmental protection standard Technical specification for application and issuance of pollutant permit-Petrochemical industry (HJ 853-2017), which shall enter into force as of the date of release.

On Aug. 24, Minister Li Ganjie met separately with ROK Minister of Environment Kim Eunkyung and Japanese Minister of the Environment Masaharu Nakagawa, in Suwon, Republic of Korea. The two sides exchanged views on environmental cooperation.

On Aug. 25, the nineteenth Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among China, Japan and South Korea was held in Suwon, Republic of Korea. Chinese Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie, ROK Minister of Environment Kim Eunkyung, and Japanese Minister of the Environment Masaharu Nakagawa presented at the meeting as heads of respective delegations. They had dialogues and exchanges on the latest environmental policies of the three countries, global and regional hot issues concerning environment, and the implementation of the joint action plan.

On Aug. 28, MEP printed and distributed the quantifiable accountability rules, the strict inspection information sharing plans, and the tour inspection notices about the integrated air pollution control in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas during 2017-2018 autumn and winter.

MEP adopted four national environmental protection standards including Water quality-Determination of ethylenethiourea-High performance liquid chromatography, which shall enter into force on Nov. 1, 2017.

Between Aug. 28 and Sept. 1, the Standing Committee of the 12th NPC held the 29th session and heard report of the NPC Law Committee on the deliberation results of the Nuclear Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China (draft).

On Aug. 29, Vice Minister Zhao Yingmin chaired a scheduling meeting in Beijing on the piloting of the pollutant permitting system in key sectors. Participants included delegates from relevant internal departments and affiliated institutions of the Ministry, the EPDs (EPBs) of the pilot provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, and the contributing organizations to the compilation of the technical specifications for application and issuance of pollutant permit in key sectors.

MEP printed and distributed the Action Plan for the Integrated Air Pollution Control in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region and Surrounding Areas during 2017-2018 Autumn and Winter.

Between Aug. 30 and 31, the 2017 Symposium on Radiation Safety Regulation was held in Jinan Municipality of Shandong Province. Liu Hua, MEP Vice Minister and NNSA Administrator, presented and spoke at the meeting.

On Aug. 31, MEP held a symposium in Beijing on the implementation of the Action Plan for the Integrated Air Pollution Control in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region and Surrounding Areas during 2017-2018 Autumn and Winter and its six supplementary documents. Minister Li Ganjie presented and delivered remarks at the symposium. Vice Minister Zhao Yingmin presided over the meeting. The persons in charge of such implementation in the people’s governments of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, and Henan presented and delivered remarks at the meeting. The heads of the EPDs (EPBs) of relevant provinces (municipalities); the municipal governments and the EPBs of the 26 cities on the air pollution transmission passage and six county level governments and EPBs (including Xinji) in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas; the administration committees of Xiong’an New Area and Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone; and relevant internal departments, regional offices, and affiliated institutions of the Ministry attended the meeting.

MEP held a video conference in Beijing on centralizing the monitoring powers of surface water quality. Vice Minister Zhai Qing presented and spoke at the conference. The persons in charge of such centralization from the EPDs (EPBs) of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, the people’s governments of prefectural cities, and the heads of the environmental protection departments of prefectural cities attended the conference at local branch venues.

MEP issued an announcement on the changes to the data requirements under the Guidance on the Declaration and Registration of New Chemical Substances.