Improvements seen for veterans, law, environment, anti-graft efforts

At least four new authorities will be created to improve the rule of law, environmental protection, services for veterans and supervision of officials, according to the milestone report delivered at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Wednesday.

The report, which was delivered by General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, said the new bodies would include a central leading group for advancing law-based governance, regulatory agencies to manage and monitor State-owned natural resources, an administration for veterans and supervisory commissions at the national, provincial, city and county levels to stop corruption.

The central leading group for advancing law-based governance will exercise unified leadership in building the rule of law in China, including strengthening the execution of the Constitution, promoting constitutionality reviews and helping to improve legislation, according to the report.

Lyu Yanbin, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Law, said establishing the group will enhance the execution of the country's laws and raise public awareness about the rule of law.

The report said agencies to manage State-owned natural resources and ecosystems will be tasked with preserving such resources and restoring ecosystems. The agencies will also inspect polluting emissions and enforce environmental laws and regulations.

Wang Yi, deputy dean of the Institutes of Science and Development of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the 21st Century Business Herald newspaper that under the current mechanisms, environmental governance is shared by multiple ministries－land, water, agriculture and forestry, for example－sometimes leading to overuse and poor protection of resources.

He said he expects that the new mechanism will include registration of all natural resources, clarify the managing bodies and tighten enforcement.

As for the new veterans administration, the report said it will protect the rights and interests of retirees and their families and serve to boost the spirit of members of the People's Liberation Army.

Major General Li Guangquan, deputy commander of a group army of the PLA Ground Force and a delegate to the CPC National Congress, said creating a new administration is a necessary step to boost service members' morale. He said it will nurture the sense of belonging and honor among retirees and will strongly encourage those in active service to work harder.

Xi conveyed a pledge to deepen anti-corruption efforts by founding supervisory commissions at all levels. These new organs are to be based on the CPC's internal disciplinary inspection commissions and will cover all publicly paid employees.

Du Zhizhou, deputy director of the Center for Integrity Research and Education at Beihang University, told Legal Daily that the founding of supervisory commissions indicates the Party will not relax in the fight against corruption and other misconduct by public servants. He said previous trial runs of such commissions in Beijing, Shanxi and Zhejiang have been successful, showing that the mechanism's design is effective.

Zheng Jinran contributed to this story.