Legal experts review draft ecological code

China is moving to codify comprehensive environmental laws, a move experts say reflects the nation's commitment to environmental protection and could offer insights for global practices.

Chinese and European legal experts and scholars met in Beijing on Tuesday at the International Symposium on Environmental Code, hosted by the Chinese Society of Environmental and Resources Law, to review a draft of China's environmental and ecological code and share legislative experiences.

Lyu Zhongmei, chairperson of the society, said the symposium aimed to gather international perspectives on the draft code and provide constructive input for the codification process.

The draft code, released online by the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on April 30, is open for public comment until June 13. It includes five books and 1,188 clauses. If enacted, it would be China's second formal statutory code.

Lyu noted that China is the first country to integrate both ecological and environmental elements into a single legal code and has drawn on international legislative experience, including publishing foreign environmental codes in Chinese.

Cheryl King-McDowall, chief people and operations officer of ClientEarth, commended China's progress on environmental governance.

"Numerous environmental laws have been enacted, revised and implemented in the country, supported by an increasingly robust enforcement mechanism," she said.

King-McDowall added that China's legal innovations are advanced or even pioneering globally, citing the legally binding concept of ecological civilization and the system of prosecutorial environmental public interest litigation.

"Countries around the world, particularly low- and middle-income countries, are increasingly looking to China as an important partner to position their countries for a green and low-carbon future," she said.

She suggested that European legal principles, including the polluter-pays principle, the prevention principle and the precautionary principle, could also be advanced in China.

During the symposium, scholars from France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway shared their countries' experiences in environmental law codification, while acknowledging persistent challenges and gaps in enforcement and the continuous process of law revision.

Christoffer Lundqvist, an environmental lawyer at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, expressed anticipation for the successful codification of China's draft.

"Maybe in the future, we'll translate the code and draw inspiration from it," he said.

Wu Kaijie, an assistant professor of law at Peking University who participated in the translation of the Swedish code, also attended the symposium.

"While European practices divide the law into pollution prevention and ecological protection, China's innovative approach expands the framework to include green and low-carbon development as well," Wu said. "While drawing on international experience, we are also responding to the pressing demands of the climate change era and demonstrating China's distinctive and innovative approach to building an ecological civilization."