Chinese prosecutors step up judicial protection of Yangtze River

BEIJING - Prosecutors of China's six provincial-level regions have set up a cooperative mechanism to strengthen judicial protection of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) has said.

The mechanism established by procuratorates of Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan Province, Guizhou Province, Yunnan Province, Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province will better protect the ecological environment of the region by focusing on case handling, according to the SPP.

Prosecutors have vowed to punish crimes which damage the ecological environment and handle cases which the people are strongly concerned about. Supervision over lawsuits related to the ecological environment will be strengthened and the unique role of public interest litigation will be performed.

Prosecutors will also step up efforts to establish platforms to coordinate jurisdiction, enhance cooperation in case handling and share information.