China prepares for next round of nationwide inspections in ‘war on pollution’
- Teams of inspectors waiting for green light to begin two years of investigations, environment vice-minister says
- Focus will be on state-owned enterprises and government ministries
China will soon begin dispatching teams of inspectors to its provinces and regions in a new nationwide investigation into environmental compliance, with the performance of state-owned firms one of its big priorities, an official said.
The first round of inspections saw thousands of government and state enterprise officials held to account, with many given reprimands and a small number subjected to criminal punishment.
Zhai Qing, vice-minister of ecology and environment, said on Thursday that preparation work had been completed and they were now waiting for the approval to launch a second round of regional inspections focusing on state-owned enterprises and government ministries.
The central government would carry out several rounds of inspections covering all regions of China from this year through 2021, and then in 2022 hold “reviews” into how those violations had been rectified, he said.
“No matter what company they are, what size of the company they are, as long as they violate environmental rules, we will strictly investigate and deal with them,” he said.
The environment ministry last month publicly accused dozens of firms, including subsidiaries of some its biggest state enterprises like China Baowu Steel Group and the Aluminium Corporation of China of exceeding pollution limits.