China steps up public interest litigation to boost green development

China's procuratorial authorities have increased the use of public interest litigation to support green and low-carbon development, according to a white paper released Tuesday by the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

In March 2025, the SPP launched a year-long supervisory campaign to promote green development through public interest litigation. Procuratorial departments nationwide focused on public interest violations related to industrial restructuring, urban and rural development, transportation, and energy use.

By February 2026, prosecutors had handled about 44,000 related cases, including more than 13,000 involving pollution control and carbon-emission management. Regions such as Shanghai, Hebei, Jiangsu, and Hunan provinces, along with the Inner Mongolia and Xizang autonomous regions, reported moderate increases in environmental public interest litigation.

Through case handling, authorities oversaw the rectification of more than 4,000 enterprises involved in illegal pollutant discharge, restored over 2,000 kilometers of river channels, and rehabilitated about 1,933 hectares of water areas. Prosecutors also helped recover 1.05 billion yuan ($153 million) in ecological restoration compensation, addressing several prominent environmental problems.

Xu Xiangchun, head of the SPP's public interest litigation procuratorial department, said the campaign has helped improve the regulatory framework for environmental public interest litigation. The SPP has issued guidelines covering areas such as soil pollution, solid-waste management, and air-pollution prevention, as well as procedures for case filing and review.

According to the white paper, prosecutors filed 47,228 cases related to ecological and environmental protection and natural resources, accounting for 34.8 percent of all public interest litigation cases.

Additionally, China has expanded international exchanges in this sector, with its practices receiving growing recognition abroad. The SPP introduced the system during a visit to Vietnam, shared experience on watershed governance at a United Nations climate conference side event in Brazil, and presented marine protection practices at a UN ocean conference side event in France.

Chinese prosecutors also promoted relevant experience at an international seminar on migratory bird protection held by BirdLife International to 123 member countries and hosted delegations from countries including Egypt, Singapore, and Vietnam, helping enhance the global influence of China's public interest litigation system.

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