Teams led by ministerial-level officials are completing inspections of environmental protection efforts across China, with the results having already affected the promotion prospects of thousands of officials…Some 18,000 polluting companies have been punished so far, with fines totalling more than 870 million yuan (US$132.2 million) handed out, and more than 12,000 officials disciplined.

…The scope and severity of the crackdown on lax enforcement of environmental standards has been unprecedented, as has been the response from local governments, who have traditionally turned a blind eye to environmental violations as long as they contributed to local economic growth.

Some local governments were so worried about the inspections that they ordered many factories to shut down before inspectors arrived. Some factory owners have complained the tough approach was not fair because they were not given time or help from authorities to install costly equipment, while workers complained of losing their jobs.

…The power of the central inspection teams lay in their authority to hold local officials, especially municipal and provincial party bosses, responsible for environmental problems, [Professor Junjie Zhang, director of the Environmental Research Centre at Duke Kunshan University] said…