General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China General Office of the State Council Issues Provisions on the Responsibility System for Ecological Environmental Protection of Local Party and Government Leaders and Cadres (for Trial Implementation)

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Recently, the General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Provisions on the Responsibility System for Ecological Environmental Protection of Local Party and Government Leaders and Cadres (for Trial Implementation)", and issued a circular requiring all regions and departments to follow them seriously.

The full text of the Provisions on the Responsibility System for Ecological Environmental Protection of Local Party and Government Leaders and Cadres (for Trial Implementation) is set out below.

Provisions on the Responsibility System for Ecological Environmental Protection of Local Party and Government Leaders and Cadres (for Trial Implementation)

(Approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on July 18, 2025 Issued by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council on July 18, 2025)

Chapter I. General provisions

Article 1 In order to adhere to and strengthen the overall leadership of the Party in the construction of ecological civilization, improve the implementation of the responsibility system for ecological environmental protection, and in accordance with the relevant Party regulations and laws, formulate the present provisions.

Article 2 These provisions shall apply to members of the leadership of local party committees and governments at or above the county level, heads of ecological and environmental departments and departments with important ecological and environmental protection responsibilities (hereinafter collectively referred to as local party and government leaders and cadres).

Townships (streets), various types of development zones, members of the leadership team to implement the responsibility system for ecological environmental protection, with reference to the implementation of this provision.

Article 3 The implementation of the ecological environmental protection responsibility system for local party and government leaders and cadres shall be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the new development concept shall be implemented in a complete and accurate manner, the idea that green mountains are golden mountains shall be firmly established and practiced, organizational leadership shall be strengthened, coordination shall be reinforced, institutional mechanisms shall be improved, and supervision shall be strictly carried out, so as to build a responsibility system that covers all aspects of the environment and is consistent with the rights and responsibilities of the parties and governments and provides for rewards and punishments, and is interlocked. It will also build a responsibility system with comprehensive coverage, consistent powers and responsibilities, clear rewards and punishments, and a linkage system to ensure that high-quality development is supported by high-level protection and to promote the realization of the goal of building a beautiful China.

Article 4 The implementation of the ecological environmental protection responsibility system for local party and government leaders and cadres shall be guided by the following principles:

(a) Insisting that the party and government share responsibility for the construction of an ecological civilization, taking joint responsibility for the construction of an ecological civilization, and pursuing responsibility for dereliction of duty, so as to enhance the overall effectiveness of the construction of an ecological civilization;

(ii) adhere to the management of development must grasp the environmental protection, the management of production must grasp the environmental protection, the management of the industry must grasp the environmental protection, the responsibility to guard the land, the responsibility to guard the land;

(c) Adhering to the establishment and practice of a correct concept of political performance, following the laws of nature, and resolutely abandoning the practice of sacrificing the ecological environment in exchange for economic growth in one place at a time;

(d) Adhering to the people-centered approach, accelerating the resolution of outstanding ecological and environmental problems strongly reflected by the people, and realizing ecological benefits for the people, ecological benefits for the people, and ecological benefits for the people;

(e) Adhere to the equal importance of incentives and constraints, and improve the precise and scientific mechanism for pursuing responsibility, so as to motivate cadres to be bold and active.

Article 5 Local Party committees and governments at or above the county level shall study and implement Xi Jinping's thought on ecological civilization in depth, implement the relevant decisions and deployments for deepening the reform of the ecological civilization system, strengthen the organizational leadership and coordination of ecological environmental protection, reinforce the role of the list of responsibilities for ecological environmental protection, strengthen the system of river and lake chiefs and the system of forest chiefs, pressurize the responsibility for ecological environmental protection of the Party committees and governments at the lower levels and of the relevant departments, and implement plans, policies and measures that facilitate the protect the ecological environment and promote harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature; improve the ecological and environmental governance system; and promote ecological priority, conservation and intensification, green and low-carbon development, so as to harmonize economic and social development with ecological and environmental protection.

The main person in charge of local party committees and governments at or above the county level is the first person responsible for ecological environmental protection in the region, and is generally responsible for the ecological environmental quality of the region; other members of the leadership team, in conjunction with their duties, are responsible for the strict implementation of ecological environmental protection, and are responsible for the ecological environmental protection of their respective industries or fields.

Local ecological environment departments at the municipal level and above shall perform their duties of ecological environmental protection according to regulations, implement unified supervision and management of ecological environmental protection work in their respective areas, strengthen the coordination of major ecological environment issues according to the requirements of the Party committee and government deployment, and take direct responsibility for ecological environmental protection work in their respective areas within their scope of duties. Departments at or above the county level that are responsible for important ecological environmental protection duties fulfill their responsibilities for ecological environmental protection in their own industries or fields in accordance with regulations, implement supervision and management of ecological environmental protection work in their own industries or fields, and are responsible for ecological environmental protection work in their own industries or fields.

Chapter II. Responsibilities

Article 6 The duties of the principal person in charge of ecological environmental protection of the local party committee mainly include:

(a) To conscientiously implement the guidelines, policies and decision-making arrangements of the Central Committee of the CPC regarding the construction of ecological civilization and ecological environmental protection, the decisions of higher-level Party committees and relevant Party regulations, laws and regulations, and to organize the implementation of the requirements of the task of deepening the reform of the ecological civilization system;

(ii) Promoting the integration of ecological environmental protection into the overall economic and social development, strengthening research and studies on ecological environmental protection, scheduling and supervising the progress of the important goals and tasks of the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, and promoting the construction of a spatial pattern of green, low-carbon and high-quality development;

(c) Organizing and promoting the rectification and improvement of ecological environmental protection inspections, and studying major measures to alleviate the structural, root and trend pressures on ecological environmental protection in the region;

(d) Coordinating and harmonizing the work of all parties in ecological environmental protection, supervising and promoting the implementation of the responsibility for ecological environmental protection by members of the leadership of party committees and governments and the relevant departments, and supporting the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in supervising the work of ecological environmental protection.

Article 7 The duties of the main person in charge of ecological environmental protection in local governments at or above the county level mainly include:

(a) To conscientiously implement the guidelines, policies and decision-making arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on the construction of an ecological civilization and ecological environmental protection, the decisions of higher-level Party committees and governments, Party committees at their own level, and the relevant Party laws and regulations, as well as to implement the requirements of the task of deepening the reform of ecological civilization systems.

(b) Organize the formulation of ecological environmental protection planning and incorporate it into national economic and social development planning, organize the preparation and release of provincial and municipal ecological environment zoning control plans in accordance with the regulations, and ensure that the ecological environment zoning control plan implements the strategy of the main functional area, and adequately connects with the spatial planning of the national territory and the control of uses; major administrative decisions should be made by analyzing and predicting environmental impacts and benefits, and promoting the green transformation of the industrial structure, energy structure, transportation structure and urban and rural construction development. structure, transportation structure and urban and rural construction and development green transformation.

(c) Supervising and promoting the implementation of the responsibility for ecological environmental protection by members of the Government's leadership team, relevant government departments and their heads.

(d) Organize and promote the rectification and improvement of ecological environmental protection inspections, carry out thematic investigations and studies on ecological environmental protection, regularly analyse the situation of the ecological environment, study and judge ecological security risks, dispatch and supervise the improvement of ecological environmental quality and the reduction of emissions and other aspects of the completion of binding targets, and study and solve major problems of ecological environmental protection.

(e) Strengthening financial support for the construction of a beautiful China, and ensuring that the scale of investment matches the construction tasks.

(f) Coordinating the promotion of ecological and environmental governance responsibility system, regulatory system, market system, regulations and policy system construction and education and training, scientific and technological support, and organizing the improvement of the hierarchical responsibility, territoriality-based, departmental coordination of ecological and environmental emergency response responsibility system.

Article 8 The duties of the person in charge of ecological environmental protection in local governments above the county level mainly include:

(a) Assisting the main government officials in their work on ecological environmental protection, organizing the formulation of specific measures to implement the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on the construction of an ecological civilization and ecological environmental protection, the decisions of higher-level as well as local party committees and governments, and the relevant party laws and regulations, laws and regulations; and implementing the deployment of deepening institutional reforms in the field of ecological environment.

(b) Organizing the implementation of ecological environmental protection planning, formulating annual key work plans, organizing the preparation of plans and programmes for achieving or improving the quality of the ecological environment in accordance with the provisions of the deadline, and supervising the implementation of ecological environmental protection objectives and tasks.

(c) Organizing and coordinating ecological and environmental departments and relevant departments to analyse the ecological and environmental situation in a timely manner, establish and improve mechanisms for identifying ecological and environmental problems, and study and resolve key and difficult problems in the field of ecological and environmental issues.

(d) In accordance with the requirements of party committees and government deployment, organizing and carrying out supervision, inspection and assessment of ecological environmental protection, and guiding special ecological and environmental remediation and joint law enforcement.

(e) Providing guidance on promoting capacity-building for the supervision of ecological environmental protection and improving the professionalization of the team.

(vi) Promoting the improvement of ecological and environmental risk reporting and early warning mechanisms, and organizing the response to and disposal of ecological and environmental emergencies.

Article 9 Local governments at or above the county level in charge of the relevant departments responsible for important ecological environmental protection shall assist the main person in charge of the government to implement the responsibility of ecological environmental protection in the industry or field under their charge, guide the industry or field under their charge to incorporate ecological environmental protection into the relevant development plan and annual work plan, supervise the relevant ecological environmental protection work, rectify and rectify ecological environmental protection problems and rectify outstanding ecological environmental problems in accordance with their responsibilities. Outstanding ecological environment problems rectification, in accordance with the division of responsibilities to grasp the ecological environment of the industry or field in charge of hidden danger investigation, emergency disposal.

Article 10 Local party committees and other members of the leadership of the government at or above the county level, in accordance with the division of responsibilities, supervise and guide the relevant departments in fulfilling their responsibilities for ecological environmental protection in accordance with the rules and regulations, and mobilize the social forces to actively participate in, support and supervise the work of ecological environmental protection.

Article 11 The person in charge of the local ecological and environmental protection department at or above the municipal level implements the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on the construction of ecological civilization and ecological environmental protection, implements the decisions of the higher level as well as the Party committees and governments of the respective levels and the relevant Party regulations, laws and regulations, organizes the formulation and implementation of the relevant policies, plans and standards for ecological environmental protection of the region, organizes the drafting of the draft local laws and regulations on ecological environmental protection and the draft rules and regulations of the local governments. It organizes the departments of ecological environmental protection at its own and lower levels to effectively carry out their supervisory responsibilities, and assumes direct responsibility for ecological environmental protection in the region within the scope of its duties.

Article 12 The person in charge of the department at or above the county level who is responsible for important ecological environmental protection shall organize and promote, supervise and guide the key tasks of ecological environmental protection for which the department is responsible, study and solve the outstanding ecological environmental problems in the industry or field in a timely manner, improve the relevant policies, and assume the responsibility for ecological environmental protection in the industry or field.

Chapter III. Oversight and accountability

Article 13 in the central and provincial ecological environmental protection supervision of local party and government leading cadres in the implementation of ecological environmental protection responsibilities. Strengthening audit supervision and ecological environmental protection inspections through coordination, using the results of the audit of natural resource assets of leading cadres to form a supervisory synergy.

Article 14 The implementation of the ecological environmental protection responsibility system by local party and government leaders and cadres as an important aspect of ecological environmental protection appraisal and evaluation, and increasing the application of appraisal results and the rectification of problems.

Article 15 The implementation of the responsibility system for ecological environmental protection shall control the total amount and frequency of supervision and inspection, optimize and streamline the appraisal system, indicators and methods, and refrain from formalism and bureaucracy, and effectively reduce the burden on the grass-roots level.

Article 16 When investigating local party and government leaders and cadres, the organization departments of the party committees shall, in accordance with the regulations, take the construction of ecological civilization as an important part of the investigation and evaluation.

Article 17 Local party and government leaders and cadres in the work of ecological environmental protection do not fulfill or incorrectly perform their duties, one of the following circumstances, shall be investigated in accordance with the rules and regulations and in accordance with the law; suspected of violating the law and committing crimes, shall be investigated in accordance with the relevant responsibilities:

(a) The implementation of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on the construction of ecological civilization and ecological environmental protection decision-making and deployment of ineffective, make choices, make changes, discount;

(ii) Inadequate responsibility for the implementation of ecological environmental protection, formalism, bureaucracy, perfunctory and dereliction of duty;

(c) Decisions made are in violation of policies on ecological civilization building and ecological environmental protection, as well as relevant party regulations, laws and regulations;

(d) Causing ecological and environmental problems to become prominent, deteriorating ecological and environmental conditions, and serious ecological and environmental damage to occur;

(v) Other cases in which accountability should be pursued.

Article 18 The local party and government leaders and cadres report their dereliction of duty in a timely manner and take the initiative to take remedial measures to effectively prevent or reduce ecological damage and environmental pollution, recover ecological and environmental damages and losses, or eliminate adverse impacts, or actively cooperate with the accountability investigations, and take the initiative to assume responsibility for it, can be in accordance with the rules and regulations of the law, from the lesser or mitigated responsibility.

If the Party Central Committee and higher-level party organizations do not implement or are ineffective in implementing decisions and deployments on ecological civilization construction and ecological environmental protection, make blind decisions without regard to the ecological environment, and break through the red line of ecological protection, the bottom line of environmental quality, and the top line of resource utilization, resulting in serious consequences or serious social impacts, the Party Central Committee and the higher-level party organizations shall be held accountable for their responsibilities from the heaviest or aggravated level in accordance with the rules and regulations and law.

Chapter IV. Bylaws

Article 19 These provisions shall be interpreted by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in consultation with the Central Organization Department.

Article 20 The present provisions shall come into force on the date of their issuance.

Source: Xinhua News Agency