China’s Top Legislator Urges Input on Landmark Environmental Code

China’s top legislator Zhao Leji has urged lawmakers to provide more suggestions for the drafting of the nation’s first comprehensive environmental code. Speaking at a session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, Zhao highlighted the importance of ecological protection and sustainable development.
The full draft, first submitted in April, includes five key chapters covering general provisions, pollution prevention, ecological protection, green and low-carbon development, and legal liability. Lawmakers are currently reviewing updates to the draft, which was also released for public feedback earlier this year.
Zhao emphasized that the code represents a crucial step in advancing environmental governance and called on legislators to strengthen its framework through active participation and constructive proposals.