"I told the audience at a special session that China made a national law to ensure the lawful use of waterways nearly 20 years ago, and that some countries have been condemning China for compromising 'freedom of navigation' even as they themselves refuse to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea."

Zhou Bo, director of the security cooperation center under the Defense Ministry's Office for International Military Cooperation, on June 4. He said representatives of the People's Liberation Army clearly and comprehensively explained China's stance on issues concerning the East and South China seas and exposed the true intentions of some other nations.

"It's urgent to build an environmental expert database to improve the quality and efficiency of environmental assessments in our hearings. ... A database could compensate for the shortage of institutes dealing with environmental assessments, and would also bring more environmental knowledge to our judges, making hearings more professional."

Ma Jun, chief judge responsible for handling environmental disputes at Beijing No 4 Intermediate People's Court, speaking at a news conference on June 5, World Environment Day.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/09/2017 page2)