Policy Digest

Progress being made in climate change response

China has made progress in tackling climate change amid sustained efforts to scale up its climate change response, according to the Ministry of Ecological Environment.

Last year, China's carbon emissions' intensity decreased more than 51 percent from its 2005 level. The share of non-fossil energy in the country's total energy consumption reached 17.5 percent, according to the 2023 report on China's policies and actions to address climate change released by the ministry on Friday.

By the end of June, the installed capacity of renewable energy had reached about 1.32 billion kilowatts, accounting for approximately 48.8 percent of the country's total installed capacity, the report showed. It was the first time that the installed capacity of renewable energy surpassed that of coal-fired power.

Ministry official Xia Yingxian said that China has attached equal importance to adaptation and mitigation in addressing climate change, and has made overall plans and arrangements for climate change adaptation through 2035.

Fatal accident prompts elevator safety review

Chinese authorities launched an operation on Thursday to screen for hidden safety risks that may lead to elevator accidents, after an elevator plunge in Yunnan province killed three and injured 17 on Oct 18.

The operation, which will last until December, aims to avoid the occurrence of similar accidents in the future through a nationwide investigation into potential risks of the country's in-service elevators, according to a notice issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation.

The country's top market regulator has called on local authorities to carry out the investigation in a stringent way without blind spots, the notice said.

Cases that violate the law must be made known to the public in a timely manner so that such breaches will serve as a warning for others, it said.

More people indicted for money laundering

Prosecutors have maintained their tough stance on money laundering, with 1,718 individuals indicted for such crimes from January to September, up 14.8 percent year-on-year, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Thursday.

During the period, 62,336 individuals were involved in money laundering crimes, up 92.7 percent year-on-year, data from the SPP shows.

The SPP attributed the increase to the high incidence of crimes such as telecom fraud and cross-border gambling.

Through the use of online payments, blockchain and other information technologies, money launderers have been taking advantage of new methods such as virtual-currency transactions, making it harder to crack down on such crimes, according to the SPP.

The SPP said it will enhance collaboration with other organizations and pledged greater efforts to prosecute money laundering cases.