China has launched an eight-month campaign to target trafficking of guns and ammunition in border areas to ensure social stability, according to a Ministry of Public Security statement issued Thursday.

The campaign began in mid-March and is set to last until late December this year.

Greater efforts must be made to halt trafficking of guns and ammunition which have been on the rise recently, the statement said.

It added that some criminals are turning to overseas suppliers for ammunition after local police have stepped up the fight against gun-related criminal activities.

During a meeting Wednesday, Huang Ming, deputy minister of public security, urged for closer cooperation between the country's different police agencies to crack down on guns and ammunition trafficking.