BEIJING - Chinese environmental authorities should play a bigger role in drawing up national and local development plans, vice-minister for the environment Pan Yue said in Beijing on Sept 22.

Speaking at a conference on China’s environmental policy and legislation, Pan said city and land planning must be aligned with environmental protection, citing the new environmental protection law which was revised for the first time in April this year.

“Elements of environmental protection should be incorporated into all development plans,” he said, adding the environmental assessment system should be used as an important tool to promote “green development”.

China’s top legislature adopted revisions to the Environmental Protection Law in April, giving heavier punishment to environment-related wrongdoings.

The new law says economic and social development should be coordinated with environmental protection and that the country should establish and improve environment and health monitoring as well as survey and risk assessment systems

Pan said environmental authorities across the country should make good use of the new law to push forward China’s green development and its economic restructuring, while calling for increased efforts to better environmental monitoring.

They should also promote transparency and encourage public engagement, he added.