BEIJING -?China saw 30,000 instances of illegal land use in the first half of this year, up 8 percent over the same period last year, an official from the Ministry of Land and Resources said Tuesday.

Li Jianqin, an official in charge of law enforcement and supervision with the ministry, said that government authorities have investigated 8,894 of the cases thus far. A total of 698 people who are believed to be involved in the cases have been referred to judicial and disciplinary bodies, he said.

The increase in the number of cases was triggered by widening supply and demand imbalances, Li said. He cited the continued construction of illegal golf courses after the ministry imposed a ban on the construction of new golf courses in 2004.

Driven by the surging popularity of the sport, some local governments have misinterpreted government policies in order to build the new courses, he said.

China had 490 18-hole golf courses by the end of last year, only 10 of which were approved by the government and given business licenses, ?according to a report issued by the Forward Management Group. The group is responsible for organizing the Forward Chinese Amateur Tour, the country's oldest and largest amateur golf tour.