President Xi Jinping has called for further implementation of a year-long education campaign within the Communist Party of China (CPC) to strengthen Party discipline.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction on the campaign, which focuses on the study of the Party Constitution and rules, as well as the speeches made by Xi, and calls for being qualified Party members.

In the instruction read at a meeting held on Sunday, Xi noted that the campaign launched last year had achieved remarkable results.

The campaign has helped with the strict management of the CPC and must be carried on, said Xi.

The campaign should prioritize political training, Party members’ words and deeds, the latest theoretical developments and it should guide all to become qualified Party members, Xi noted.

In addition, the campaign must focus on “a key few” leading officials and grassroots party branches. It should also promote a solution-based approach and make full use of role models, according to Xi.

Xi urged CPC committees at various levels to support the campaign and make sure the achievements provide organizational guarantees that will promote balanced economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress and coordinated implementation of the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy.

The Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy refers to making comprehensive moves to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, deepen reform, advance the law-based governance of China, and strengthen Party self-governance.

Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said at the meeting that through the campaign, CPC members should stay highly consistent in their thoughts, politics and actions, with CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core.

More effective rules and systems should be put forward to address the behavior of “a key few” leading officials, so that they can set an example with their loyalty, integrity and responsibility, said Liu.

Liu also called for combination of the campaign and the central tasks to inspire CPC members to contribute to the overall reform and development.

Zhao Leji, head of the CPC Central Committee’s organization department, read Xi’s instruction at the meeting.

Senior leader Liu Qibao, Zhang Chunxian and Zhao Hongzhu attended the meeting.

Shanghai border control authorities will blacklist people who intentionally bring in non-native plants and animals multiple times.

Officials with Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said ports have reported more instances of people bringing in invasive speices as exchanges between Shanghai and the world have increased.

Shanghai borders screened 20 million inbound tourists and 12 million parcels last year and blocked more than 7,000 entries involving 124 dangerous non-native species.

They included the Mediterranean fruit fly, which attacks fruit crops and the pine wilt nematode that threatens forests.

Officials say existing regulations stipulate a fine up to 5,000 yuan (about 730 U.S. dollars) for offenders, but this is not enough of a deterrent, so they will blacklist repeat offenders.

Being blacklisted may be recorded on people’s credit and police records, the officials said.

Repeat offenders could face criminal charges once an amendment submitted to the legislature is passed, they added. The officials did say they would be lenient on those who did not know the species were controlled.

A senior Chinese lawmaker on Saturday called on the government to better regulate the price and quality of medicine.

Li Jianguo, vice chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, made the remarks after leading a five-day legislative inspection of pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers, retailers, and medical institutes in Shandong Province.

He said fake, inferior, and over-priced drugs are a huge public concern. Despite laws to address the situation, problems remain due to certain departments turning a blind eye to illegal activity by pharmaceutical businesses.

Li said there should be “zero tolerance” for irregularities and a serious crackdown was needed to get the public back on side.

He stressed that changes must start from strengthening the administration capacity, particularly at the grassroots levels, to ensure drug supervision is improved.

A Chinese official has called for more to be done to ensure ecological security as the country observed National Security Education Day on Saturday.

China faces multiple challenges in this regard, including water loss, soil erosion and smog, noted an unnamed official with the National Development and Reform Commission.

China has 2.95 million square kilometers of land suffering from water losses and soil erosion, and 1.73 million square kilometers of desertificated land, according to the official.

To improve the environment, China needs to strengthen control and regulation over the use of land and resources, and implement green industrial policies, the official stressed.

Related laws and regulations should be improved to hold local officials to account when environment damage is incurred, the official said, calling for the building of a mechanism for paid use of natural resources.

China will also step up protection and restoration of the ecological system and address key problems such as water, air and soil pollution.

In addition, China will intensify monitoring of ecological security and actively engage in the global mechanism for improving the ecological environment, the official pledged.

China’s environmental protection lags far behind its economic status, and decades of breakneck growth have left the country saddled with problems such as smog and contaminated waterways and soil.

Earlier this year, China’s central authorities issued guidelines on an ecological “red line” strategy that will make certain regions protected. The zones will be clearly defined by the end of 2020.

China passed the National Security Law on July 1 of 2015, declaring April 15 the day to raise awareness of national security among the public.

Chinese officials and environmental experts are investigating a plateau lake that has turned pink.

The one-square-kilometer lake is part of Qinghai Lake complex in Qinghai Province. It is separated from the main lake by a sand strip.

Xinhua reporters confirmed that the surface of the small lake has turned pink, the mud and weeds under the water were also tainted, and there was an unpleasant smell.

Officials with the Qinghai Lake Preservation and Administration Office said a large amount of mud and weeds were tainted by a “pink-colored substance.”

Water samples have been sent to a lab in central Hubei Province for analysis, the officials said.

The officials were only alerted after a member of the public uploaded images of the pink lake to the Internet, sparking heated debate.

“The lake is surrounded by pastures and small settlements. There is no industry nearby, so we can rule out the hypothesis that the lake was polluted that way,” said a statement posted on the office’s website.

The lab tests are still ongoing.

Qinghai Lake, perched on the northeast part of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, covers 4,429 square kilometers, and is the country’s largest salt lake and an important habitat for plateau birds.

The lake expanded in recent years thanks to the government-led preservation efforts, especially reforestation to keep desert and sands at bay.