JC Master Updates | Attorney Wang Kai of our office was invited to participate in the China-EU Chamber of Commerce’s policy‑enterprise dialogue event at the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, where he delivered a special presentation on the “Ecological and Environmental Code.”

On the afternoon of May 22, the China–European Union Chamber of Commerce hosted a government–enterprise dialogue event at the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, which was successfully held at the Jiangsu Provincial Environmental Monitoring Center. Our office’s attorney Wang Kai was invited to attend as an expert on environmental rule of law and delivered a special presentation on the key new provisions of the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China on Ecological Environment and the essential compliance considerations for enterprises.

The Ecological and Environmental Code of the People’s Republic of China was adopted by a vote at the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress on March 12, 2026, and will officially come into force on National Ecological Day, August 15, 2026. The promulgation of this Code marks the official entry of China’s ecological and environmental protection efforts into a new era of governance based on codified law, while also imposing comprehensively upgraded requirements on corporate compliance with environmental standards and boundaries. This government–enterprise dialogue is designed to build an efficient communication platform between the government and foreign-invested enterprises, provide precise interpretations of the Code’s key new provisions, and offer face-to-face guidance on environmental compliance challenges encountered in business operations, thereby helping foreign-invested companies smoothly adapt to the implementation of the new law.
 

During this presentation, Attorney Wang Kai drew on his practical experience to systematically examine key institutional reforms in the General Provisions section of the Civil Code, starting with the legislative background, overall structure, and core changes. These include expanding the definition of the ecological environment, codifying the “Three Lines and One List” spatial management framework, transforming public participation from a mere procedural formality into a binding obligation, and strengthening accountability across the entire chain of response to sudden environmental incidents. He also provided an in-depth analysis of five major reforms: upgrading the environmental impact assessment system from “environmental impact assessment” to “ecological and environmental impact assessment”; for the first time incorporating greenhouse gas emissions into the statutory assessment regime; formalizing lifecycle‑wide project oversight; imposing automatic rejection upon violation of any of the five red lines; and establishing the construction entity’s primary, lifelong responsibility for environmental impact assessments. Addressing the issue of heightened legal liability—of particular concern to businesses—Attorney Wang Kai elaborated on stringent penalties, such as fines of up to RMB 10 million for unauthorized construction, tiered bans on engaging in related professions, and substantial monetary sanctions for falsifying EIA documents. He further clarified a multi‑pronged disciplinary framework comprising corporate fines, administrative detention of responsible individuals, industry‑wide exclusion, and credit‑based punitive measures. Finally, from four perspectives—pre‑project review and gatekeeping, closed‑loop lifecycle management of EIAs, quality control of EIA documentation, and the establishment of risk‑prevention and long‑term safeguard mechanisms—Attorney Wang Kai offered concrete, actionable recommendations for compliance restructuring, helping enterprises transition from a reactive, end‑stage remediation approach to one characterized by source‑level prevention, end‑to‑end oversight, and clear assignment of individual accountability.
 

This event precisely addressed the core environmental compliance needs of foreign-invested enterprises, helping them accurately grasp the legislative spirit and practical implementation guidelines of the Ecological and Environmental Code, and providing clear guidance for building compliant systems following the new law’s entry into force. JC Master Law Office will continue to deepen its expertise in the field of ecological and environmental rule of law, leveraging its professional strengths in government‑enterprise compliance, local legislation, environmental enforcement, and ecological damage compensation, to offer comprehensive, high‑quality legal services on ecological and environmental matters to all types of market entities, thereby supporting enterprises in advancing steadily and sustainably along the path of green and low‑carbon development.