A draft interpretation of China's Criminal Law, tabled for reading on April 21, aims to clear up ambiguities by clearly defining the eating of endangered wild animals, or buying them for other purposes, as illegal.

The bill was submitted for first reading by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, at its bi-monthly session from April 21 to 24.

The eating of rare animals is not only bad social conduct but also a major reason why illegal hunting has not been stopped despite repeated crackdowns, said Lang Sheng, deputy head of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, when elaborating on the bill to lawmakers.

Currently, 420 species of wild animals are considered rare or endangered by the Chinese Government. They include giant pandas, golden monkeys, Asian black bears and pangolins.

According to the bill, anyone who eats listed animals or buys them for other purposes, will be considered as breaking the law and will be sentenced to prison term of five to 10 years, depending on the degree of their offence.

Natural Gas Supply

China will raise its natural gas supply to as much as 420 billion cubic meters per year by 2020 amid rising demand due to urbanization, a government statement said on April 23.

The increased supply will cater to the rising demand for natural gas in people's daily lives, schools, nursing homes, home heating, as well as in buses and taxis, a statement on the Central Government website said.

The supply increase is also driven by the nation's efforts to mitigate air pollution stemming from an over-reliance on coal, the statement said.

To expand natural gas production, investment in gas storage facilities as well as their construction and operation will be open to all market players, the statement said.

Meanwhile, companies will also have the option to issue bonds to raise capital for the construction of storage facilities. The government will offer favorable land policies for storage facility projects, the statement said.

Data showed that natural gas consumption in China hit nearly 170 billion cubic meters in 2013.

Glacier Protection

A protected area will be marked out in an attempt to arrest the shrinking of Glacier No. 1 in the Tianshan Mountains of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, authorities said on April 23.

All mining sites in the 948-sqaure-km protection zone will be shut down within three to five years, and the regional government will restrict vehicles on a national highway section near the zone and ban tourists from entering it.

The regional government has established a leading team for the construction of the area, where grazing will also be restricted. China has 46,377 glaciers, with 18,311 located in Xinjiang. The autonomous region's glacier melt water accounts for about 25 to 30 percent of its surface run-off, and the thawing of the glaciers could have a disastrous effect on the region, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.