BEIJING -- Lawmakers on Tuesday voted to adopt a revised Marine Environment Protection Law amid the country's push for ecological conservation and maritime development.

The revised law, passed at a session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, will take effect on Jan 1, 2024.

Consisting of nine chapters, the newly revised law highlights prioritizing protection and tackling problems at their source, as well as coordinating activities on land and at sea to protect the ocean environment.

As a comprehensive law in this field, China's current Marine Environment Protection Law was enacted in 1982 and underwent several revisions.

The revised law specifies the responsibilities of relevant departments and localities to advance the system for managing the ocean environment.

The revised law also underscores the protection of marine biodiversity, with improved provisions on enhancing its surveying and assessing system, as well as on maintaining and restoring important marine ecological corridors.

With a focus on pressing issues faced by the marine environment, the law also stresses strict control over pollution.

It prohibits activities such as the dumping, stacking and disposal of solid waste on the shore, and requires that measures be taken to prevent solid waste from entering the sea.