State firms, govts behind illegal sea reclamation

State-owned companies and some government bodies are to blame for many illegal sea reclamation projects, a senior official from the State Oceanic Administration has said.

"Sixty-one of the 62 illegal cases last year were conducted by governments and port holdings," said Liu Xincheng, vice-director of North China Sea Branch of the administration.

"Economic interests" were the direct cause for the reclamation, including the establishment of offshore drilling projects, he said.