BEIJING, Nov. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Ten Chinese cities have failed to retain their "environment-friendly" title after failing tests conducted by the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), China's environment watchdog.

    The SEPA said Tuesday that Haikou, Daqing, Rongcheng, Wendeng, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Taicang, Yantai and Laizhou have been dropped from the list.

    The cities have been told by the SEPA they have to improve their environmental work in order to get back on the list.

    According to SEPA, the cities of Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province, Zhuhai of Guangdong Province and Jiangyin of Jiansu Province, passed the SEPA exam.

    At the end of last year, SEPA had honored 44 cities for their efforts in environmental protection while pursuing high economic growth. The SEPA reexamines the environment of cities on the list every three years.

    In February, Zhangjiagang, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province, and six other cities retained their titles. While Shantou in south China's Guangdong Province was warned that improvement was needed. Enditem