China steps up interdepartmental action on illegal sea-sand mining

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China's three judicial and law-enforcement agencies decided to enhance cooperation in curbing the illegal mining of sea sand at a meeting held on Tuesday.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security and the China Coast Guard will cooperate to tighten up surveillance and investigation in those areas with a high incidence of illegal mining of sea sand and along the major transport routes, according to a press release after the meeting.

They will work to close loopholes in industrial supervision networks and push the regulators to improve their work, the statement said, adding that the three agencies will enhance intelligence sharing and coordination among different departments.

The statement warned of a severe situation in curbing the illegal mining of sea sand, as criminals have become more cunning and upgraded their techniques despite continuous crackdowns.