On Mar. 1, Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie presided over a meeting of the Group which conveyed the guiding principles of the important statements delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the third plenary session of the 19th National Congress of the CPC and of the session. Vice Ministers Zhai Qing, Zhao Yingmin, and Liu Hua, Leader of the Discipline Inspection Group Wu Haiying, and Vice Minister Zhuang Guotai presented at the meeting. Vice Minister Huang Runqiu observed the meeting.

Leader of the Leading Party Members' Group Wu Haiying presided over a working meeting on comprehensively strengthening the Party discipline in 2018. Officials in charge of this from the Department of Communications and Education, the CPC MEP Committee, the Information Center, China Environment News, and the Discipline Inspection Group attended the meeting.

On Mar. 5, MEP promulgated the Technical Specification for Pollution Control of Cyanide Leaching Residue in Gold Industry (HJ943-2018), which shall enter into force as the date of promulgation.

On Mar. 6, MEP, MLR, MWR, MOA, SFA, CAS, and SOA jointly printed and distributed the Circular on Jointly Conducting the "2018 Green Shield"  Thematic Inspection on Nature Reserves.

On Mar. 7, MEP held a meeting to commemorate the International Women's Day and commend the advanced collectives and individuals in the departments directly under MEP. Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie and Vice Chairperson of the Women's Work Committee of the State Organs Ma Li presented and spoke at the meeting. Vice Minister Zhai Qing presided over the meeting and read out the commendation notice, and representatives of the advanced collectives and individuals made speeches. Vice Minister Zhao Yingmin, Leader of the Discipline Inspection Group Wu Haiying, and Vice Minister Zhuang Guotai presented at the meeting. The members of the Women's Work Committee of the departments directly under MEP, the officials in charge of women's work in the internal departments and affiliated institutions as well as representatives of the women staff attended the meeting.

On Mar. 12, MEP and MRW jointed printed and distributed the Programme of Action for the Thematic Environmental Inspection on National Centralized Drinking Water Sources.

On Mar. 17, Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie took questions on such hot topics as the tough fight on pollution control at the press conference of the first session of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC.

The first session of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC held the fifth plenary session, which voted on and adopted the State Council's decision on the institutional reform, by which the Ministry of Ecology and Environment shall be established.

On Mar. 19, the first session of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC held the seventh plenary session, which cast a vote and appointed Li Ganjie as Minister of Ecology and Environment.

Minister of Ecology and Environment Li Ganjie took questions from the press on winning the defence battle of blue skies at the "Minister's Passage" of the Two Sessions.

Between Mar. 20 and 24, Discipline Inspection Group and the CPC MEP Committee co-organized the training seminar on studying and acting upon the guiding principles of the 19th National Congress of the CPC, and the Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China. Leader of the Discipline Inspection Group Wu Haiying lectured.

On Mar. 21, Minister Li Ganjie presided over a meeting to convey, study, and implement the guiding principles of the first session of the 13th NPC and the first session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC, and make plans for the next stage. Huang Runqiu, Liu Hua, and other NPC deputies and CPPCC members from the national ecological and environmental departments shared their experience in their capacities as deputies and members. Zhao Yingmin, Wu Haiying, and Zhuang Guotai presented and spoke at the meeting. The Party chiefs and directors general of the Ministry's internal departments and Beijing-based affiliated institutions attended the meeting.

On Mar. 22, MEE convened all of its officials when an official with the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee announced the decision of the CPC Central Committee on establishing the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the appointment of the new Ministry's leadership. Comrade Li Ganjie was appointed Minister of Ecology and Environment and Secretary General of the Ministry's Leading Party Members' Group.

On Mar. 26, Minister Li Ganjie presided over the ministerial executive meeting, which considered and adopted in principle the the 2018-2020 Action Plan for Full Implementation of the "Implementation Plan for Banning Foreign Wastes and Advancing the Institutional Reforms on the Management over Importation of Solid Wastes", the 2018 Action Plan for the Thematic Inspection over the Environmental Incompliances of the Imported Solid Waste Processors, and the Action Plan for Straightening out the Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Power Generators to Meet Emission Standards. Members of the ministerial leadership Huang Runqiu, Zhao Yingmin, Liu Hua, and Wu Haiying presented at the meeting. The directors general of the internal departments attended the meeting.

Minister Li Ganjie met in Beijing with Madame Kristalina Georgieva, Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank. The two sides exchanged views on the reforms on the issues of common concern and signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Conducting Cooperation on Environmental Management.

MEE issued the Guidelines on the Formulation of the Emergency Preparedness Plan for Environmental Emergencies in Centralized Surface Drinking Water Sources (on trial).

On Mar. 27, seven line departments Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and State Oceanic Administration jointly held a video conference on the "Green Shield 2018" inspection on nature reserves. MEE Minister Li Ganjie, MARA Vice Minister Zhang Taolin, and SFGA Deputy Administrator Peng Youdong presented and spoke at the meeting. MNR Vice Minister Ling Yueming presented at and MEE Vice Minister Huang Runqiu presided over the meeting. The officials-in-charge with MEE, MNR, MWR, MARA, SFGA, CAS, and SOA attended the meeting at the main venue. Participants also included the officials with the environmental protection, land resources, water resources, agricultural, forestry, and oceanic (fishery) departments of provincial-level governments, South China Botanical Garden of the CAS and the national and major provincial nature reserve administrations.

MEE held a meeting among the retired officials in order to keep those officials updated on the major decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee for deepening the institutional reforms of the Party and the State and the work progress of the Ministry's institutional reforms. Minister Li Ganjie presented and spoke at the meeting.

The spring-semester training session organized by the MEE Party School and oriented to the directors opened. An official with MEE presented and spoke at the opening ceremony.

MEE adopted the national environmental protection standards Technical guidelines of accounting method for pollution source intensity-Basic principles
(HJ884-2018), Technical guidelines of accounting method for pollution source intensity-Iron and steel industry (HJ885-2018), Technical guidelines of accounting method for pollution source intensity-cement industry (HJ 886-2018), Technical guidelines of accounting method for pollution source intensity-pulp and paper industry (HJ 887-2018), and Technical guidelines of accounting method for pollution source intensity-Thermal power industry (HJ 888-2018), which shall enter into force as of the date of promulgation.

On Mar. 28, MEE held an enlarged meeting of the leadership core of the MEE Leading Party Members' Group & a tutorial lecture. Vice President of China University of the Political Science and Law Prof. Ma Huaide gave the lecture. The members of the Leading Party Members' Group, ministerial leaders, and all the officials with the internal departments who were available in Beijing, the members of the leadership and Party affair cadres of the Beijing-based regional offices and affiliated institutions attended the meeting.

MEE issued the Environmental Management Records and Compliance Reports of Pollutant Emission Permit-Technical Specification for Pollution Sources-General Rule (on trial).