China directs more attention to cases on Yangtze River environmental resources

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese courts will intensify the handling of cases related to environmental resources along the Yangtze River basin, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) said on Tuesday.

The courts have been asked to deal with air pollution prevention and control cases, especially reducing smog and acid rain along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Sichuan Basin.

The SPC requires courts to resolve biodiversity prevention cases well by cracking down on illegal hunting, killing of rare and endangered species, and smuggling of species that are banned from import. The protection of species' habitats was also stressed by the SPC.

"Strengthening the handling of cases related to environmental resources along the Yangtze River basin is crucial for fulfilling the national strategy of Yangtze River economic belt development," said Jiang Bixin, vice president of the SPC.

Jiang said the courts should give full play to their role in developing the area into a beautiful golden economic belt with smooth traffic.

Cases related to ecological compensation and green finance were also emphasized by the SPC.

The Yangtze River economic belt covers 11 provinces and municipalities with an area around 2.05 million square kilometers. Both population and economic aggregate of the economic belt have exceeded 40 percent of the country's total. Enditem