New rules highlight eco-civilization, spell out criteria to measure officials' performance

China will improve monitoring of the environment nationwide and emphasize the responsibility of government officials in eco-civilization development, according to a new set of guidelines from the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The guidelines include detailed regulations for measuring officials' performance and meting out punishment for incompetence.

Because government officials have played the decisive role in implementing environmental protection measures, the country will release the detailed regulations on their responsibilities and performance expectations in ecological development based on law and scientific measurement.

Government officials found responsible for environmental pollution will be held accountable even beyond their terms of office.

The central government will launch pilot projects in which natural resources will be treated as assets that are the responsibility of government officials.

After the pilot projects, new auditing systems will be implemented for natural resources, with targets, assessment standards and explanations of how to use the audit results in monitoring, said the guidelines.

The CPC Central Committee reviewed and approved on Wednesday the drafts for environmental protection inspections, construction of the environmental monitoring network, and accountability measures for government officials who are responsible for environmental damage. They also approved the pilot projects' action plan for auditing officials' performance based on their oversight of natural resources.

President Xi Jinping, who chaired the 14th meeting of the reform group, emphasized the need to deepen reforms in eco-civilization to benefit the protectors and punish the polluters.

The new set of drafts and the action plan also seek to improve the monitoring network on environmental protection, with the focus on local governments.

Confirming the property rights of natural resources is important to better protect natural resources, since ownership and responsibility for management will then be clearer, said Yin Yanlin, a senior official in the Central Financial Leading Group last week.