The restructuring of China's top environmental authority will empower it to help the country better fulfill its obligation in reducing ozone depleting substances, said a senior official with the China office of the United Nations Development Programme.Devanand Ramiah, deputy country director of UNDP China, told China Daily he was encouraged by China's work in ODS reduction since the country joined the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1991.Ramiah's comments come as the world celebrated the 24th International Ozone Layer Protection Day on Sunday."After the Montreal protocol, the Chinese government has taken this very seriously in terms of putting forth all of its efforts and summoning all of its political will to address this issue."It's not easy because of the scale in China, but I think China is doing extremely well," he said, adding that the country has phased out both CFC and bromomethane at least two years ahead of the time frame required under the protocol, and it is moving ahead with clear targets in weeding out HCFCs. All three of these chemical compounds are ODS.China, as the largest producer and exporter of ODS, faces a series of challenges in phasing out the substances, he said.The scale of companies related to ODS differs and it's a challenge to come up with a strategy to address the issue. There can be difficulties in monitoring small enterprises, he said, adding the diverse and scattered nature of these firms can make their oversight difficult.He also said it's challenging for China and also the rest of the world to find lower cost alternatives to ODS, citing the example of CFC-11.CFC-11 foam was widely used as insulation before it was banned in 2010. It's much cheaper than many other substances that could replace it.Despite the challenges, Ramiah said he is "very optimistic" that China will earnestly fulfill its obligations after strengthening its top environmental authority."As you know, the biggest push by the Chinese government is to balance development with environmental protections, and it's taking the environmental aspect of development very seriously."The newly strengthened Ministry of Ecology and Environment shows the push from Chinese government at the highest level, he said.The reshuffle will help ODS management because the National Management Office of ODS Import & Export will become an independent office."That again shows a state of seriousness in terms of enforcement capacity," he said.In the latest institutional restructuring initiated by the State Council in March, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment was established to assume duties from seven government bodies, including the duty of responding to climate change."We have a very robust program and we are delivering with our partners. Institutional strengthening requires a lot of coordination between different entities and the institutions need to be strong. All in all I think it's going well," he said.Many countries have been following China's lead in introducing new ODS control plans.With the support of the UNDP, there have been countries coming to China, including Malaysia, India and Indonesia, to learn from both the Chinese government and the private sector, he said."China's challenge is so vast but China's action has also been vast," he said. silicone medical alert bracelet diabetesembossed printed wristbandsimages of rubber band braceletscustom silicone braceletscustomize bracelets
Draft of amendment will be reviewed at CPC Central Committee plenary sessionThe Communist Party of China Central Committee will hold a key session next week to review the draft of an amendment to some parts of the country's Constitution, according to a meeting presided over by General Secretary Xi Jinping on Friday.At the meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, members of the Political Bureau decided that the Second Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee will be held from Thursday to Friday next week.The members of the Political Bureau were briefed about the feedback on the CPC Central Committee's suggestion to amend some parts of the Constitution.The senior leaders decided to revise the draft amendment based on the discussion of the meeting and submit the draft to the Second Plenary Session for further review.The Constitution amending process must follow such principles as upholding the Party's leadership, sticking to the path of justice of socialism with Chinese characteristics and adhering to correct political direction, according to a statement released after the Political Bureau's meeting.The amendment process must be carried out strictly through legal procedures, and it must be carried out with full democracy, a wide collection of consensuses, reflection of the people's will and support from the people, said the statement.It must focus on some parts rather than an overhaul of the Constitution to ensure that it could not only meet the demands of the Party and people but also follow the rules of the Constitution and law development, so as to keep the Constitution's continuity, stability and authority, said the statement.The meeting highlighted the significance of the Constitution as the country's fundamental law, the comprehensive charter to govern the country and the reflection of the Party's and people's will.The CPC attaches great importance to the role that the Constitution plays in the governance of the country, and the Party has taken effective measures to enhance the implementation of the Constitution, the statement said.With the form of China's fundamental law, the Constitution has acknowledged the great struggle and achievements of the Chinese people's revolution, building and reform under the leadership of the CPC, said the statement.The Constitution has set China's basic political system, set the country's major tasks, leadership core, guiding thoughts, development path and future goals, stipulated the multiparty cooperation and political consultation system under the Party's leadership, and set such principles as socialism justice, democratic centralism and respect of human rights.The systems, principles and stipulations of the Constitution must be followed in a long-term, comprehensive manner, as it has outstanding advantage and great vitality, said the statement.The statement pointed out that amending the Constitution is a great event of the country's political life, a major decision made by the CPC Central Committee from a strategic view of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and a great step to advance the rule of law.In order to make the Constitution better adapt to its important role in upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, some amending should be done to apply the Party's and people's theoretical innovation, practical innovation and systematic innovation outcomes in order to update the rules of the Constitution, said the statement.The CPC Central Committee decided to discuss the amending issue through a plenary session, which demonstrates the great importance the CPC Central Committee has attached to the Constitution's amendment, said the statement.The amendment process should uphold the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, fully implement the spirit of the CPC's 19th National Congress and follow the action guide of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, The Thought of Three Represents, Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, said the statement.The amending should reflect the new achievements, experiences and requirements of the Party, as well as the country's development, push the Constitution to keep up with the times, and provide Constitutional guarantee for the fulfillment of the two centenary goals and great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, said the statement.
