Environment

Change to law would help in suing polluters

A proposed draft amendment to the Environmental Protection Law would make it easier for agencies to file public interest lawsuits against polluters.

Environmental agencies that have registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs for five years running and are deemed to have a good reputation will be able to file lawsuits against polluters.

The amendment, if approved, would be a major change to the law. Previously, only the All-China Environmental Federation was allowed to file public interest lawsuits.

According to the National People's Congress Standing Committee, 13 agencies would be qualified to file a lawsuit if the amendment became law immediately.

The amendment could address concerns that the federation may not be capable of filing lawsuits across the country because of its limited staffing and financial resources.

Zhou Ke, an environmental protection law professor at Renmin University of China, said there is a lot of controversy surrounding the new drafts to the environment law, the third so far. A fourth draft is expected soon. But among the draft amendments, the stipulation that determines who is qualified to file a lawsuit against polluters is the most contentious.

Shanghai to reduce smog levels by 2017

Shanghai unveiled its Clean Air Action Plan on Oct 18, which aims to reduce the concentration of dangerous PM2.5 particulates by 20 percent to the 2012 level by 2017.

The plan, introduced in China's most populous city with nearly 24 million residents including 173,000 foreigners, included targets for pollution prevention in six sectors - energy, industry, transport, construction, agriculture and social life.

"The frequency of heavy pollution will be significantly reduced by 2017. The air quality will better meet residents' expectations as well as the general qualifications of building an international metropolis," said Wu Qizhou, deputy director of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau.

One of the highlighted measures in the Shanghai plan is banning coal burning, Wu said. More than 2,500 boilers and 300 industrial furnaces that use coal will be closed down or changed to clean energy by 2015. Coal burning will be completely banned in 2017, the plan said.

The distribution of natural gas will be accelerated as will the development and utilization of wind, solar and other renewable energies, Wu said.

Legal

Extradition deal key to catching fugitives

Signing an extradition treaty with the United States is essential to China's continuing efforts to capture and repatriate economic fugitives, a senior security official has said.

Yet experts on both sides said an agreement may be unlikely in the short term, as obstacles and misunderstandings remain over China's judicial system and progress in human rights protection.

According to China's Ministry of Public Security, at least 150 Chinese economic fugitives, many of them corrupt officials, are hiding in the US.

Over the past 10 years, however, just two people wanted on criminal charges have been repatriated.

"We face practical difficulties in getting back fugitives who have escaped to the US due to the lack of an extradition treaty, as well as the complex and lengthy US legal procedures," said Liao Jinrong, director of the ministry's international cooperation bureau.

Some progress has been made in judicial cooperation in recent years, but it has been slow and is still far from enough, he said.

Dialogue

Public diplomacy may ease strained ties

Experts from China and Japan are calling for "constructive" grassroots dialogues to inspire the two governments to repair strained relations.

They made the remarks of public diplomatic activities following a yearlong political stagnation that developed after the Japanese government announced it would "nationalize" China's Diaoyu Islands.

The diplomatic impasse, focusing on territorial disputes and historical issues concerning Japan's wartime brutality, has been intensified by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's right-wing political and military policies.

The visits by more than 160 Japanese lawmakers and several Cabinet members recently to the Yasukuni Shrine - seen as a symbol of Japan's militarism, as it honors several war criminals - caused the latest friction.

Experts who will join the coming dialogues said semi-official or grassroots exchanges will help mend relations. However, they also said visits will help only when participants can raise "constructive" ideas on thorny territorial and historical issues.

Famliy Subsidies

Inquiry to look into use of benefits

The State Council, China's cabinet, is about to launch a national investigation into whether local governments have properly used "lifesaving" money to subsidize underprivileged families, a senior official said.

The inquiry will focus on whether local governments have conducted financial status checks to properly identify those eligible for the minimum living subsidies, Dou Yupei, vice-minister of civil affairs, told China Daily.

Ensuring that local governments adjust subsidy standards to keep pace with inflation and have earmarked sufficient funds are other key areas that will be highlighted during the investigation, he said.

The moves come a year after the State Council issued guidelines on improving minimum living subsidy policies.

Minimum living subsidies are "lifesaving" money and the ministry applies "zero tolerance" to any malpractice in this regard, Dou said.

Energy

Myanmar-China gas pipeline completed

The Myanmar-China natural gas pipeline was completed on Oct 20, further diversifying China's sources of fuel from abroad and ensuring its energy security.

It is China's fourth strategic energy supply channel, adding to the Russia-China oil pipeline, the Central Asia gas pipeline and the sea lane through the Strait of Malacca.

The Myanmar-China natural gas pipeline will ease the nation's gas shortages during busy periods.

The 2,520-kilometer pipeline starts at Kyaukpyu on Myanmar's western coast, enters China at Ruili in Yunnan province and ends at Guigang in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. It will provide natural gas to the southwestern provinces of Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou.

The three provinces have not had access to a natural gas pipeline until now, relying instead on liquefied natural gas from Sichuan province.

Urbanization

Illegal construction threatens hutong

Rampant illegal construction has put Beijing's historic hutong in danger of disappearing.

That's the warning from residents and historians, who have called on authorities to do more to protect this unique part of the capital's culture.

Hutong are narrow alleys and were traditionally lined with siheyuan courtyard residences.

In 2000, Beijing still had 1,300 hutong, according to amateur historian Zhang Wei. But he estimates that since then, at least half of them have disappeared.

He blames rapid urban development and unchecked illegal construction.

"Buildings have been built without permission by residents who want to improve their living conditions but don't want to move," said the 36-year-old, who runs the website oldbeijing.net.

The Dongcheng district urban patrol authority demolished a rogue second-floor extension of a house in Dongsi Qitiao on Sept 23 after the property owner refused to remove it, Beijing Evening News reported.

In August, the Beijing government demanded the demolition of illegal structures at five buildings in major urban areas, including the one in Dongsi Qitiao.  

China Daily

Runners wearing fancy costumes start from Tian'anmen Square during the Beijing International Marathon on Oct 20. The event attracted 30,000 runners. Tadese Tola of Ethiopia broke the event record set 27 years ago to win the men's race with 2:07:16. Provided to China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 10/25/2013 page3)