China Issues “Regulation on Ecological Environment Monitoring,” Effective January 1, 2026 
On October 31, 2025, the State Council of China promulgated the Regulation on Ecological Environment Monitoring (hereinafter referred to as the “Regulation”) as a State Council decree. The Regulation will take effect on January 1, 2026.
The Regulation aims to standardize ecological environment monitoring activities, enhance monitoring capabilities, and ensure data quality. It was formulated based on relevant laws and consists of 7 chapters and 49 articles, covering: General Provisions, Public Monitoring, Self-Monitoring, Technical Service Organizations, Supervision and Management, Legal Liability, and Supplementary Provisions.
Key Provisions on Public Monitoring
- Environmental authorities, in coordination with relevant departments, shall establish national and local ecological environment monitoring networks based on principles of rational deployment, functional completeness, classification, and shared construction and data sharing, promoting interconnectivity.
- Unified planning for the establishment of national and local ecological environment quality monitoring stations, with strengthened station management and operational support.
- Implementation of ecological environment quality monitoring in key regions, river basins, and marine areas, as well as cross-administrative monitoring.
- Enhanced monitoring of various pollution sources and strengthened ecological environment risk monitoring and early warning.
- Establishment and improvement of emergency monitoring management systems for sudden ecological environment incidents, improving emergency response capabilities.
Key Provisions on Enterprise Self-Monitoring
- Enterprises and institutions must conduct self-monitoring of pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as ecological impacts from construction projects and sudden environmental incidents, in accordance with regulations.
- Monitoring plans must be developed based on relevant standards and norms. Major monitoring points must be equipped with video surveillance devices connected to relevant authorities.
- Monitoring equipment must comply with national standards and undergo regular maintenance, inspection, and calibration. Automatic monitoring devices must be networked with environmental authorities.
- Enterprises must establish and maintain data quality management systems. Any falsification or tampering of monitoring data is strictly prohibited. Original monitoring records must be preserved, and relevant information must be disclosed in accordance with law for public oversight.
Legal Liability
The Regulation clearly stipulates penalties for illegal acts such as falsifying or tampering with monitoring data.
The full text of the Regulation (in Simplified Chinese) can be accessed at:
https://www.mee.gov.cn/zcwj/gwywj/202511/t20251106_1132216.shtml
