As many as 173 Chinese steel enterprises were found to have violated the country's environmental rules during recent nationwide investigations into the industry, the environment ministry said on Monday.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection said in July that it had set up dedicated inspection teams to determine whether the country's giant steel sector was meeting State technology and emission standards.
After visiting 1,019 steel firms, the inspectors found that 173 had broken the rules, with 62 involved in illegal construction.
