Further ecological oversight launched

China launched another round of monthlong environmental inspections in seven provincial regions on Monday to push the provincial and city governments to reduce pollution, according to the nation's top environmental authority.

National inspection teams have begun work in Fujian and Hunan provinces, and will soon move to Tianjin municipality and the provinces of Shanxi, Liaoning, Anhui and Guizhou, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Monday.

Also on Monday, the ministry submitted two reports on environmental protection results from 2016 to the National People's Congress Standing Committee. The reports said central-level inspections - regarded as a powerful tool to monitor provincial governments in environmental protection-had been completed in 16 provincial regions, including Beijing and Shanghai.