China cracks down on 170,000 cases of environment-related fraud since 2015

(ECNS) -- China has taken stern measures to crack down on illegal environment-damaging behavior.

Zhai Qing, vice minister of Ecology and Environment, said at a news conference in Beijing on Friday that the ministry has continued to enforce the law on ecological protection.

"We've dealt with over 170,000 cases since the new environmental law took effect in 2015. Then we've improved the connection between administrative punishment and criminal penalty on environment-related matters. For example, 23 suspects were held accountable for falsifying data on environmental monitoring, which is the first time in the history of environmental protection," he said.