According to China's top environmental watchdog the State Environmental Protection Administration, China closed down a total of 3,176 polluting enterprises amid a campaign in which 720,000 companies had been checked for their pollution discharges last year.

In the campaign, SEPA and other departments investigated 28,000 cases violating related environmental laws and regulations and settled 13,000. Threats to the sources of drinking water, industrial parks densely distributed with polluting enterprises and construction projects likely to damage the environment were the major targets in the campaign.

A total of 1,981 industrial parks across the country, involving 29,890 enterprises, were subject to investigation, and 4,162 polluting companies received severe punishment. China reported 161 pollution accidents last year and the administration suspended 163 projects that would damage the environment with a total investment of RMB770 billion.