China will not pursue economic growth at the expense of the environment despite the slowing economy, Minister of Environmental Protection Chen Jining said at a news conference on Friday.

The country will continue to restructure its economy away from heavily polluting companies to create more room for "good companies", Chen said, to develop and focus on technological innovation.

However, he pointed to the need to rein in local governments, some of which are leery of enforcing environmental laws in favor of boosting economic growth in their areas.