China steps up crackdown on fraudulent practices in environmental monitoring

BEIJING -- China will intensify efforts to combat fraudulent practices by environmental monitoring agencies, with multiple government departments coordinating enforcement, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said Saturday.

Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said fraudulent practices by monitoring agencies remain a serious problem. He called for a zero-tolerance approach to safeguard the quality and credibility of environmental monitoring.

The remarks were made at a recent national meeting convened by the ministry and relevant departments to advance the campaign.

According to the ministry, the campaign will be carried out in three stages, including identifying problems across the sector, conducting concentrated rectification, and establishing standardized operations.

Monitoring agencies will be required to conduct self-inspections and draw up lists of identified problems. Authorities will then carry out targeted rectification, handle violations in accordance with the law and provide guidance to ensure corrective measures are fully implemented.

Spot checks and verification will also be strengthened, with authorities targeting inaccurate, omitted or concealed reporting, as well as perfunctory or sham rectification.

The ministry said it will also improve routine supervision by accelerating the rollout of relevant management rules and making good use of the environmental monitoring management and service platform.

China has tightened oversight of environmental monitoring in recent years as the country steadily advances efforts to strengthen environmental protection.

The country's landmark Ecological and Environmental Code, which took effect on Aug 15, explicitly prohibits practices such as interfering with sampling, substituting samples, altering monitoring conditions, conducting sham monitoring, and tampering with or fabricating records.