China sends environmental inspection teams to 8 more provinces in war on pollution

China will send inspection teams to eight more provinces and regions to see how well they are complying with state environment rules in fighting the country’s war on pollution, the environment ministry said.

Beijing has identified local governments as one of the key battlegrounds in its nationwide anti-pollution efforts, with many accused of turning a blind eye to environmental violations in an effort to protect valuable sources of revenue and jobs.

The latest round of inspections will cover the huge coal-producing regions such as Inner Mongolia and Ningxia in the northwest, the old northeastern industrial heartland of Heilongjiang and the poor rural regions of Yunnan and Guangxi in the southwest.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) was given additional powers to send inspection teams anywhere in the country and demand meetings with senior local officials as part of its efforts to root out polluters. It was only the second Chinese agency to be granted such authority.