FILE PHOTO: A woman wears a mask as she rides near the Bund during a polluted day in Shanghai, China, January 2, 2017. REUTERS/Aly Song BEIJING (Reuters) - More than 70 per cent of companies checked by Chinese authorities failed environmental standards during the latest round of air pollution inspections, state media reported on Sunday. The findings came after two months of inspections across 28 cities in the notoriously smoggy Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and other nearby areas, the official Xinhua news agency said. The inspections found 13,785 companies - or 70.6 per cent of those inspected - violated standards, with problems ranging from excessive emissions to insufficient pollution control equipment. The government has thrown its weight behind an ambitious “Jing-jin-ji” plan to integrate the three neighboring cities, in part to alleviate the strain on the capital, Beijing, and relocate heavy industry away from major population hubs. Reporting by Philip Wen; Editing by Robert Birsel
More than 300 companies , 80 % of those controlled by Chinese air pollution authorities , failed to meet environmental standards , according to the state - run Xinhua news agency . Standards complaints included excessive emissions and insufficient pollution control measures in an area covering the Beijing - Tianjin - Hebei region and beyond . The report came as Chinese authorities push the ambitious Jing - jin - ji plan to integrate the three neighbouring provinces and move heavy industry away from densely populated areas .