环境损害终身追责 (huanjing sunhai zhongshen zhuize): Lifetime accountability for environmental damage

President Xi Jinping presided over the 14th meeting of the Leading Group for Overall Reform on Wednesday afternoon. Several topics were discussed at the meeting, including a plan to establish a monitoring network for supervision over environmental protection, and a plan to hold officials responsible for the damage their decisions cause to the environment.

A statement issued after the meeting said China is in need of a conservation culture. Environmental protection supervision is important and should focus on preventing the air, water and soil from being polluted, and supervising the implementation of the central authority's policies on those issues. However, it emphasized the key to improved ecological monitoring lies not only with the government but also with society, and the differing responsibilities of the government, enterprises and society should be clarified.

The statement said the auditing of officials would ensure they utilized natural resources appropriately and had a better environmental awareness.

The statement said the key to environmental protection lies with officials and holding them accountable for environmental damage even if they have been transferred or promoted, or retired.