On June 19, Tianjin University Law School and the Research Institute of China Green Development at TJU held a seminar on Theory and Practice of Multi-solution Mechanisms for Environmental Disputes at the Weijin Road Campus.

Zhao Fei, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Party Committee and the Party Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. He pointed out that Tianjin University and the Municipal Government attach great importance to this issue and are burdened with the great responsibility of protecting the “green lungs of Beijing and Tianjin” in terms of environmental protection. In accordance with the decisions of the Central Committee, the Tianjin Municipal Committee, and the Municipal Government, the city has thoroughly implemented the ecological and social policy recommendations. In addition, Tianjin has also made great efforts in the control of air, water, and soil pollution, as well as wetland protection to contribute its fair share of responsibility in this tough battle. The city’s political and legal organizations have striven to serve the big picture. They regard the protection of a good ecological environment and the prevention of environmental crimes as an important part of law enforcement and justice. By enhancing legal services of environmental protection and promoting the rule of law, they aim to improve their ability in the investigation and problem-solving of environmental disputes and to maintain high pressure on crimes relating to environmental protection.

At present, environmental protection has featured diversified stakeholders, types and interests. Zhao hoped that all experts should follow political guidance, social responsibility, and legal and academic rightness in work and academic research. Furthermore, all leaders in this field must work hard to study the ecological policy, and hold the ideological high ground. He stressed that all experts should be people-oriented and learn the diversified needs of the people in the construction of an ecologically sound environment from the perspective of the “maple bridge experience” in the new era. In addition, he underlined that we must actively explore new channels and new ways for the people to participate in the construction of an ecologically sound environment and effectively provide the people with better ecological products and more beautiful ecological environment, and carry out in-depth study of important theoretical and practical issues. By doing this, we expect to provide Tianjin with a bigger talent pool in the course of building an ecologically livable modern city. The Municipal Government must implement a timely and forceful crack-down on environmental crimes to ensure green and sustainable development.

Li Jiajun, Party Secretary of Tianjin University, also spoke. He said that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s thoughts on an ecologically sound social environment were a fundamental guideline to ensure the development of an ecologically sound social environment with ecological and environmental protection. This innovative and strategic theoretic declaration has served as a major landmark in providing a powerful ideological weapon and fundamental guarantee for the promotion of an ecologically sound social environment building and ecological environmental protection work in the new era. It has indicated the right direction for China to forge a civilized road and develop productivity and promote quality of life and a good ecological environment. It is hoped that the meeting will focus on the major strategic needs of national ecologically sound social environmental construction. Through the exchange of competing ideas and thoughts, this meeting will yield high-level research results that will truly affect decision-making and contribute to the construction of an ecologically sound social environment.

The opening ceremony was presided over by Sun Youhai, Dean of the Law School of Tianjin University and Executive Dean of the Research Institute of China Green Development. Wang Shirong, Deputy Director of the Judicial Reform Leading Group Office of the Supreme People's Court, Zhang Hua, Chief Judge of the Environmental and Resources Court of the Supreme People’s Court, Hu Baolin, Honorary President of the Research Institute of China Green Development, Professor Dai Changlin of the TJU Law School and other officials, experts and scholars from higher learning institutions and government exchanged their thoughts and ideas on topics such as the content of multi-resolution mechanisms for environmental disputes and the significance of the time, the convergence between judicial and non-judicial resolution of environmental disputes, and the developmental trends of multi-resolution mechanisms for environmental disputes.