National

This week China formally inaugurated its new Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) to replace the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The MEE consolidates regulatory functions that were spread over seven or eight different ministries and administrations.

Why it matters: The fragmentation of regulatory authority is a major reason China has struggled to combat the severe environmental degradation that has attended its rapid economic rise. The consolidation, part of a larger government reorganization announced in March, aims to address that deficiency by making the Chinese government more coherent and effective.

The MEE will have authority over all types of pollution: surface and underground, urban and rural, onshore and offshore. It will also take over the responsibility for carbon dioxide emissions and have direct oversight of local authorities. 

Yes, but:  Despite its more centralized authority, the MEE will still have to contend with a broader political environment characterized by comparatively weak laws and inadequate legal institutions.

In the past, when dealing with repeated airpocalypses and severe soil and water contamination, regulators have often had to rely on higher authorities under President Xi Jinping to bring local officials into line. These authorities direct repeated and heavy-handed inspections and have punished thousands for their failures to fulfill their environmental responsibilities, thereby elevating the clout of the environmental regulators. 

What's next: The MEE will apply this heightened clout to its broader scope of responsibilities. Though it will be a few months before the organizational revamp takes full effect, the regulator's augmentation already marks a milestone for environmental protection in China.

Dali L. Yang is the William C. Reavis Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

China revamps regulator for stronger environmental protection

The functions of at least seven ministries will be folded into one.

Heavy air pollution in Shanghai on January 30, 2018.

Heavy smog in Shanghai on January 30, 2018, when the Air Pollution Index reached 235, a level considerred "very unhealthy." Photo: VCG via Getty Images

World

China

Expert Voices

This week China formally inaugurated its new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Ministry of Ecology and Environment " data-vars-click-url="https://environment-analyst.com/66021/china-unveils-ministry-of-ecology-and-environment" data-vars-content-id="ac2cb90a-a8ae-4768-a31b-975e3097dc4b" data-vars-headline="China revamps regulator for stronger environmental protection" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://environment-analyst.com/66021/china-unveils-ministry-of-ecology-and-environment" target="_blank">Ministry of Ecology and Environment </a>(MEE) to replace the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The MEE consolidates regulatory functions that were spread over seven or eight different ministries and administrations.Why it matters: The fragmentation of regulatory authority is a major reason China has struggled to combat the severe environmental degradation that has attended its rapid economic rise. The consolidation, part of a larger government reorganization announced in March, aims to address that deficiency by making the Chinese government more coherent and effective.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

Trade disputes rarely escalate as quickly and intensely as the current U.S.–China spat, which has resulted in tariff volleys and vehement rhetoric from each side. But recent statements from both countries suggest that tensions may now be falling.

What's next: Trump indicated on Tuesday that he would send Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to China next week. As both sides have softened their stances, the stage is set for the two sides to consider returning to the negotiating table.

After President Xi first met President Trump at Mar-a-Lago in April 2017, the Chinese thought they could handle Trump as they had his predecessors, and didn't take his trade-related threats — many of them issued on Twitter — seriously.

But as tariff threats were followed by counter-threats, the atmosphere turned increasingly somber in Beijing, especially because Trump’s objections extended beyond China’s trade surplus to Chinese industrial policies. 

Trump’s escalations struck raw nerves in China, and the already-strident rhetoric emanating from Beijing reached a crescendo earlier this month, when the Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman declared that China was “prepared to pay any cost” to respond to the American threats. 

It turned out, however, that staring into the precipice pushed leaders in both countries to look for solutions. On April 10, Xi announced that he would further open the Chinese economy by lowering tariffs on cars and other products and by strengthening foreign IP protections. The government lifted tariffs on cancer drugs two days later. President Trump got the signals, tweeting that he was “very thankful” for Xi’s statement and that “We will make great progress together.” 

What to watch: Mnuchin will be accompanied next week by Trump's hardline trade representative Robert Lighthizer and adviser Peter Navarro. But even as tensions have started to ease, they're unlikely to be resolved in a single visit.

Dali L. Yang is the William C. Reavis Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs

U.S. and China ratchet down rhetoric in trade disputes

The stage is set for both sides to return to the negotiating table.

US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross pose for a photo

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and Commerce Secretary Ross. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Politics

Trade disputes rarely escalate as quickly and intensely as the current U.S.–China spat, which has resulted in tariff volleys and vehement rhetoric from each side. But recent statements from both countries suggest that tensions may now be falling.What&#x27;s next: Trump indicated on Tuesday that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="he would send Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to China " data-vars-click-url="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-to-send-mnuchin-to-china-for-trade-talks-next-week-1524596457" data-vars-content-id="f783bbaf-6494-4cbf-b91f-b5752eef9a2c" data-vars-headline="U.S. and China ratchet down rhetoric in trade disputes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-to-send-mnuchin-to-china-for-trade-talks-next-week-1524596457" target="_blank">he would send Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to China </a>next week. As both sides have softened their stances, the stage is set for the two sides to consider returning to the negotiating table.

Dali L. Yang

Stories

U.S. and China ratchet down rhetoric in trade disputes

China revamps regulator for stronger environmental protection