Wang Shoubing, an environmental impact assessment engineer at Fudan University, told China Daily how the qualification is gained.

Requirements for becoming an eia engineer:

To apply: A bachelor's degree in relevant major and five years' work experience.

A master's degree in relevant major and two years' work experience.

Working experience is not required for candidates with a doctorate.

The test: Pass all four exams within two years. The exams are: Laws and regulations; technical regulations and standards; technical methods; and case study.

Questions in the first three exams are mainly multiple-choice. The pass rate is only about 10 percent, not because the test is too hard, but because there is a strict limit on the number of engineer certificates issued every year.

Requirements for becoming an eia agency:

The level of a qualified agency is determined by the number of EIA engineers and relevant staff that have passed a certain type of training.

Grade A

These agencies should have at least 12 engineers and 12 other staff. The agencies are qualified to write official reports on large projects that can only be approved by the Environmental Protection Ministry.

Grade B

Agencies with at least two engineers and six other staff are qualified to write environmental impact assessment report forms.

Agencies with at least six engineers and six other staff are qualified to write official environmental impact assessment reports.

- Wu Wencong