Xi pledges to safeguard the environment

China will never pursue temporary economic growth at the expense of environmental degradation, President Xi Jinping vowed on Friday.

"Those who made rash decisions regardless of the ecological environment, resulting in serious consequences, must be brought to account, and should be held accountable for a lifetime," he said.

"Only by implementing the strictest system and the most stringent rule of law can we provide reliable protection for ecological civilization."