by Martina Fuchs
GENEVA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- China's newly adopted Ecological and Environmental Code lays a legal cornerstone for advancing the country's modernization characterized by harmony between humanity and nature, a policy expert with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), one of the world's largest conservation organizations, has said.
As Chinese lawmakers on Thursday voted to adopt the "groundbreaking" code at the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress, Zhao Liang, project coordinator for Policy Advocacy and Green Finance at the WWF China, said it marks a "significant move" to protect the ecological environment and further boost green and low-carbon development.
"The code integrates decades of China's environmental laws and regulations into a single unified legal framework," Zhao told Xinhua in a recent interview. "It brings together legislation on air, land and water ... to address what we call the world's triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and nature loss."
"The code includes a dedicated chapter on green and low-carbon development, effectively translating China's commitments to carbon peaking and carbon neutrality into law while guiding the economy toward a greener future."
Zhao said the code also highlights China's role in global environmental governance. "It stipulates that China should take a more proactive role in leading the world's green transformation in trade, technology and finance," and contribute to a fair and equitable global climate governance system based on cooperation and shared benefits, he said.
He added that another "prominent feature" of the code is its people-centered approach. "It puts people at the center, emphasizing public well-being and participation. More broadly, the code institutionalizes China's vision of ecological civilization, translating political commitment and policy goals into a comprehensive legal framework."
The code comes as the international community grapples with accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, underscoring the growing need for comprehensive legal frameworks to guide sustainable development.
"When we read the news, we see wars, conflicts, geopolitical tension and economic uncertainty," Zhao said. "In this context, I think China is opening a new chapter in global environmental governance, upholding multilateralism, respecting the central role of the United Nations, and thereby injecting certainty, predictability and accountability into a world of uncertainty, unpredictability and chaos." ■
