Liao Xilong, member of the Central Military Commission, director of the Environmental Protection and Afforestation Committee and director of the General Logistics Department of the PLA, emphasized at the Eighth Plenary Meeting of the Environmental Protection and Afforestation Committee of the PLA held on March 25 that the army should give priority to the emphasis and grasp the key issues in environmental protection, and strive to solve major existing problems so as to promote the overall environment improvement, creating a new situation in coordinated development of environmental improvement and army modernization.

　　Liao Xilong emphasized that at present and in the years to come, the army must focus its efforts on three aspects: Firstly, intensify environmental pollution prevention and control. Special efforts should be made to solve the most serious and hazardous pollution problems having great impact on the health of troops and production and daily living of the general public. Secondly, accelerate the progress of ecological building, enhance the afforestation efforts over “barren hills, wastelands and barren beaches” and properly manage and use the National Eco-efficiency Compensation Fund for Forestry Resources. Meanwhile, continuous efforts should be made to enhance the barracks greening efforts aimed at building “green barracks”, actively advocate new ecological concepts, and explore new idea, new standard and new methods for building ecological barracks in the new century. Thirdly, enhance environment supervision and management according to the related laws, carry out assessment of environmental impact in accordance with the laws, intensify law-enforcement inspection and strengthen the enforcement of laws and regulations on environmental protection and afforestation.

　　At the meeting, the “Work on Environmental Protection and Ecological Improvement of the PLA in 2004 and Its Work Plan for 2005” and the “Regulations of the PLA on Evaluation of Environmental Impact (draft)” were also deliberated.

　　By Yang Chunjiang and Fan Juwei

　　(Mar. 28, PLA Daily)