What they say

The lawsuits brought by local procuratorates against environmental protection bureaus will encourage other government departments to perform their duties in accordance with the law.

However, the pilot programs in 13 municipalities and provinces may not prove effective because the two-year time frame is very short, so procuratorates may find it difficult to obtain sufficient proof of malpractice. In many cases, they are unwilling to file lawsuits against the environmental authorities or other government departments because they fear souring their relationships, which may affect the results of their annual work performance review.

Wang Canfa, director of an environmental research body at the China University of Political Science and Law