BEIJING — Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli on Nov 17 underscored the importance of environmental protection, calling for more efforts to control air, water, and soil pollution.

China should continue to carry out the action plan on air pollution, with a focus on improving the structure of industries, energy, and transport, Zhang said while chairing a symposium at the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP).

China should strive to achieve the goals of improving air quality, and make every effort to implement measures that curb air pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and other nearby areas during fall and winter.

More efforts are needed to control water and soil pollution, with management mechanisms for water and land resources to be improved.

China should also deepen reform in environmental protection, expanding central inspections and pushing pilot programs on local environmental supervision mechanisms, according to Zhang.

China has launched a series of campaigns to fight pollution and environmental degradation as decades of growth have left the country with smog, polluted water and contaminated soil.

The country has held 1,140 officials in eight provincial-level regions accountable for environmental damage, following inspections in the summer of 2016, the MEP said on Nov 16.