Two-year, high-level inspections saw companies fined 1.43b yuanThe biggest environmental inspection ever in China - covering 31 provincial regions over two years - led to 18,199 government officials being punished for their failure to control pollution, it was announced on Thursday.The central government inspectors exposed 135,000 cases, many featuring common problems such as weak enforcement of regulations to improve air and water quality, said Liu Changgen, deputy director of the National Environmental Inspection Office."The inspections motivated local governments to show their full strength in combating pollution, with tough penalties meted out to the vast number of officials who failed in their duties," he said.About 29,000 companies were also fined a combined 1.43 billion yuan ($218 million) for failing to meet standards to reduce pollution, while 1,527 people were detained for potential criminal activity.Over a series of monthlong inspections, the Ministry of Environmental Protection found some local governments had "performed poorly by showing negligence, inaction and a refusal to implement controls", said Liu, whose office is part of the ministry.The No 1 problem was the severe air and water pollution that had occurred in some places because local authorities had not taken effective environmental measures, leading to public concern.For example, in Sichuan province's Zigong, the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air increased by 32.5 percent in the first half of 2017, while quality tests showed only 11.1 percent of the city's water was above the national standard in 2016, compared with 50 percent in 2013, the inspection team reported to the provincial government.Nationally, inspectors found a lack of facilities to process the daily waste from urban regions, with 12 million metric tons of untreated sewage discharged directly into waterways, Liu said on Thursday.In response, cities have accelerated construction of treatment facilities, such as Guangdong province's Shenzhen, which has started to expand its sewage network by 2,000 kilometers.Inspection teams also discovered illegal and excessive exploitation of mines, water resources and wetlands, including in Hainan and Shandong provinces, which showed that decision-makers had not been paying close attention, Liu said."Next year, our teams will revisit these provinces to check whether the problems have been solved," he added. "Inspections in each place lasted for only a month, but the message they sent to officials - to protect and improve the environment - should last a long time."[email protected]silicone bracelets cheapcharity bracelets uksilicone keychainrubber bracelets cheapcheap custom wristbands
A man walks through exchange square in the central business district of Hong Kong on June 21, 2018. [Photo/VCG] HONG KONG - Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said Sunday that she has even greater confidence in Hong Kong one year after she and the current-term HKSAR government were sworn in. In my speech at the inauguration ceremony on July 1 last year, I said that we had no reason to lose confidence if we looked closely and rationally at what we had achieved over the past two decades since our return to the motherland, Lam said. After a year of leading the government to demonstrate a new style of governance, perform new roles and implement a new fiscal philosophy, I have even greater confidence in Hong Kong, she added. Lam made the remarks at a reception to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the establishment of the HKSAR. Lam said that during the past year the HKSAR government upheld the principle of one country by maintaining an absolutely clear stance and showing no tolerance for any act that would hit the country's bottom line. Meanwhile, the HKSAR government made good use of the advantages of two systems and actively participated in the Belt and Road Iitiative and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, she added. Over the past year, Hong Kong enjoyed robust economic growth, with a 3.8-percent increase in real GDP in 2017 and an even higher 4.7-percent growth in the first quarter of 2018, while the unemployment rate dropped to a 20-year low of 2.8 percent and people's earnings registered real improvements in general, Lam said, adding that economic growth provides the HKSAR government with necessary resources for the continuous improvement of people's livelihood. The current-term HKSAR government had a good start which was strongly supported by the central government and underpinned by mutual respect and understanding, as well as joint efforts of different sectors, Lam said. She called for sustaining this good situation by fully and faithfully implementing one country, two systems, and maintaining confidence in Hong Kong's rule of law and unique advantages, as well as patiently nurturing Hong Kong's young people into a new generation with a sense of national identity, an affection for Hong Kong and an international perspective. About 2,000 guests, including representatives of the central government and HKSAR government, foreign diplomatic missions and celebrities in Hong Kong, attended a flag raising ceremony earlier in the morning and the reception at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.
