Current issues with the regulatory framework for managing soil contamination in China

Soil contamination has been recognised as one of the most pressing environmental issues in the People's Republic of China ('PRC'). However, there has hitherto been no national law to implement and enforce regulations to manage these issues while national laws for other environmental issues such as water pollution and air pollution have already been enacted. Various measures have been undertaken at different government levels, but they are yet to be proven efficient or effective to implement and enforce regulatory requirements directed at controlling and managing soil contamination. This article has attempted to develop an understanding of the policies, regulations and technical guidelines of the PRC on soil contamination by probing into and analysing the current regulatory framework, and identifying gaps between that framework, and legal and environmental practice.