China's top authorities have formally issued guidelines to strengthen the country's high-profile central environmental inspection mechanism, building on nearly a decade of efforts to establish it as a cornerstone of ecological governance.

The new document, jointly released by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, outlines the formation of a leading group to oversee the inspections. The group will operate under the leadership of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and its Standing Committee, with its inspection teams typically headed by ministerial-level officials.

An office to support the group's daily operations will be set up within the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, according to the guidelines unveiled Monday. The office will also be responsible for organizing and dispatching inspection teams.

The guidelines identify provincial-level governments, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, other relevant State Council departments, and centrally administered state-owned enterprises with significant ecological and environmental impact as the primary targets for inspection.

Inspectors will focus on progress toward the "Beautiful China" initiative, including efforts in pollution control, the green transformation of development models, ecological protection and restoration, and meeting the country's climate goals.

China launched a pilot of the central environmental inspection mechanism between late 2015 and February 2016. The first full round of inspections began soon after and covered all provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland by the end of 2017.