China Punishes Several Officials Following Environmental Inspections

Beijing, 14/12/2016 (MAP) – China has punished nearly 700 regional officials for inadequately protecting the environment in the latest round of rolling inspections, the state news agency Xinhua reported.

The central government sent several teams to areas including Beijing, Shanghai and southern Guangdong province in November, following a first round of inspections into official efforts to protect the environment elsewhere in China.

The latest inspection teams looked into 1,893 cases and imposed fines of $9.56 million in 1,479 cases, Xinhua said in a report on Tuesday, quoting the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The previous round of investigations into eight Chinese regions led to more than 3,000 officials being disciplined for environmental violations.