China will build three environment supervision centers in northwest, northeast and southwest regions to strengthen the enforcement of environmental protection law.

In addition to the centers set up previously in east and south China, the supervision centers will help solve serious environmental problems involving many provinces in the regions.

Zhang Lijun, deputy director of the State Environment Protection Administration (SEPA), said at a recent national meeting that the total release of pollutants in China remains at a high level.

With people's rising demand for a better environment, China has started having high rates of environmental disputes and even mass protests, said Zhang.

While addressing local environment officials nationwide on legal enforcement in environmental protection during the conference, Zhang noted there might be corruption behind the violation of environment laws in some regions.

He said that more environment supervision centers will be set up in the coming five years at national, provincial and city levels to monitor and supervise 65 percent of the major pollution makers in the country.

(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2006)