In 1972, Chinese representatives attended the First United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Sweden.

In 1998, China went through a disastrous year of serious flooding, and the Chinese government upgraded the Leading Group to a ministry-level agency, which then became the State Environmental Protection Administration.

[citation needed] During 2016–2017, the MEP temporarily shut down approximately 40% of all Chinese factories as part of an environmental protection campaign.

[2]: 95  Pollutant and carbon emissions trading programs, which had previously been under the MEP's jurisdiction, were also placed within the MEE's control.

[1]: 78 In 2019, the MEE established the BRI International Green Development Coalition as a joint project with the environmental agencies of twenty-five other countries.

The Special Envoy is supported by the MEE's Office of Climate Change Affairs, headed by a vice minister.