China prosecuted more than 3,500 people for pollution-related crimes in the first 10 months of the year, up nearly 40 percent on a year ago, law enforcement authorities said, as Beijing looks to courts and police to curb violations.
China has struggled to enforce its environmental laws as growth-obsessed local governments turn a blind eye to polluting local enterprises, and it has been trying to ensure violations are properly punished.
China's procuratorate said at a Thursday briefing that it would show "zero tolerance" to environmental crimes, adding that it also prosecuted nearly 8,500 people for the wider offense of "damaging resources" in the first 10 months, up 44 percent.