Chinese courts determined to tackle pollution, says top judge

Chinese courts have heard almost 44,000 administrative disputes relating to environmental protection over the past two years, an official of China's top court said on Wednesday.

From January 2014 to November 2015, 43,917 cases were dealt with, "which reflects the determination among Chinese courts to take measures against pollution", said He Xiaorong, chief judge of the administrative case tribunal under the Supreme People's Court.

China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) highlights the importance of building an ecological society, He said, and raises new requirements for judges specializing in environmental disputes.

In his work report issued in early March, Zhou Qiang, president of the top court, asked Chinese courts to increase their environmental protection efforts.

Key areas of focus include supervising environmental law enforcement and effectively hearing environmental administrative disputes, according to He.

"Under Zhou's requirements, we will urge governmental departments to carry out the laws tackling pollution cases. On one hand, it is to protect the environment by rule of law, while on the other, it is also a good way to rule the departments' behaviors," He said.

On Wednesday, the top court also published 10 typical environmental administrative cases, which not only show increased judicial supervision of governmental departments but also enhance awareness of environmental legal protections, according to He.