BEIJING, Aug. 22 -- The number of criminal cases related to firearms and explosives in China hit a record low in 2022, a ministry official said Tuesday.

"China has become one of the countries with the lowest incidences of gun and explosives violence in the world," said Qi Xiguo, deputy head of the public security management bureau under the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), at an MPS press conference.

The official highlighted the success of the ministry's ongoing efforts to combat firearms and explosives crimes in recent years, noting a consecutive decline in the number of cases concerning such crimes.

Nationwide, this year has seen a 16 percent year-on-year reduction in such criminal cases, according to figures from the ministry.

Since the beginning of this year, the authorities have investigated and solved 13,000 cases involving firearms and explosives.