China's top legislator calls on lawmakers to contribute suggestions on environmental code

BEIJING -- Zhao Leji, China's top legislator, has called on his fellow legislators to contribute more suggestions on the compilation of the country's first-ever environmental code.

Zhao, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, made the remarks at a meeting with NPC deputies sitting in on the ongoing session of the NPC Standing Committee.

The full draft environmental code was submitted to lawmakers for its first reading in April, and part of the updated draft code is being reviewed at the ongoing session, which started on Monday. The overarching environmental code comprises five chapters: general provisions, pollution prevention and control, ecological protection, green and low-carbon development, and legal liability and supplementary provisions.

During the meeting, Zhao stressed the importance of ecological conservation and called on the legislators to continue contributing suggestions on the compilation of the code.

The draft code was made public on April 30 to solicit public opinions.