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ARTICLE · 27 MAY 2025

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China Unveils For Public Comment Its Draft Ecological And Environmental Code For Integrating The Country's Existing Environmental Laws

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On April 30, 2025, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) issued the first draft of the Ecological and Environmental Code (the Draft Code) for public comment.

ChinaEnvironment
Aaron H. Goldberg
Aaron H. Goldberg
Weiwei Luo
Weiwei Luo
Paul Hagen
Paul Hagen
K. Russell LaMotte
K. Russell LaMotte

On April 30, 2025, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) issued the first draft of the Ecological and Environmental Code (the Draft Code) for public comment. This legislation is designed to integrate "scattered" environmental regulations, incorporate emerging environmental issues (e.g., climate change and biodiversity), and strengthen enforcement of the legal framework. Once adopted, the Code will become China's second formal statutory code, after the Civil Code, adopted in 2020. The deadline for public comments is June 13, 2025.

Background

China initiated its environmental legislation in the early 1980s by issuing the Environmental Protection Law (Trial). Soon afterward, China established a relatively systematic environmental legal system by promulgating the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law, and incorporating "environmental protection" into its Constitution Law. Over time, the

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