69% Chinese firms don't comply with environmental laws

Beijing, April 21: An inspection campaign, launched by the Chinese government in April to combat pollution in Beijing and other areas, found that 69 per cent of the probed firms did not comply with environment laws, authorities said on Friday.

After the first two weeks of the inspection, it was found that 2,808 firms -- of a total of 4,707 investigated so far -- do not follow regulations in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, which are the most affected by smog, said the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The campaign, part of China's war on pollution, has mobilised 5,600 inspectors in 28 provinces, Efe news reported.

Towards the end of March, China's environmental authorities said atmospheric pollution in the country had increased during the first two months of 2017, despite a descending trend registered over the last few years.

In 2016, China recorded 137,800 violations of environmental laws -- 34 per cent more than in 2015 -- and imposed fines of over 6.63 billion yuan ($963 million), which is a rise of 56 per cent.