Chinese procuratorial departments have taken tough measures to hold those accountable for criminal activities that jeopardize the environment and natural resources, according to Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate and China's Chief Grand Prosecutor.
Ying Yong made those comments in a special report at the sixth session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing on October 21.
Ying said that the number of crimes involving environmental pollution has continuously declined over the past few years. Procuratorial departments have seriously cracked down on crimes of illegally discharging, dumping and handling of hazardous waste.
Since 2020, collaborative efforts have been taken by the SPP, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the Ministry of Public Security to release typical cases of environmental pollution and prosecute relevant suspects. Procuratorial departments have reinforced their efforts to crack down on crimes of impairing the protection of the environment and natural resources, uphold farmland red lines, and punish unlawful utilization of farmland.
In May, the SPP joined hands with the Ministry of Public Security and the China Coast Guard to launch a joint campaign against illegal mining of marine sand.
