Last week, the State Council sent two investigation teams to Hebei province to investigate illegal expansion of iron and steel production, followed by another investigation team from the provincial government on Nov 30.

The first investigation, led by Lin Nianxiu, vice-head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), was carried out on Nov 24 at Hebei Anfeng Iron and Steel.

While reviewing archives concerning the case, the investigation group also interviewed personnel, and watched over furnace demolitions on site.

According to the State Council, it is a serious crime for the enterprise to build new furnaces without approval, and offenders will be held accountable.

On Nov 26, a second investigation team was dispatched to Tangshan, Hebei province, to review the progress of capacity reduction at several steel enterprises.

By the end of October, 15.89 million tons of steel and 14.05 million tons of iron had been retired, with 29 furnaces and 21 converters dismantled throughout the province, according to the provincial development and reform commission.