The battle to control land, natural resources, food and construction is driving gang-related crime, a senior police officer said.

"Gangs are desperately seeking huge commercial gains," Liao Jinrong, deputy chief of the criminal investigation bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, told China Daily.

Profits from commercial activities are "a major motivation for most gang crimes", especially in economically developed regions and some lucrative industries, he said.

"Mafias" have emerged on the heel of booming commercial opportunities, and they want to "get the best economic return", he said.

In some regions, where supervision is lax, gangs have targeted mineral resources, logistics, building materials, vegetable and seafood markets, entertainment venues and construction projects.

"In rural areas, gangsters have even begun to intervene in local grass-root village elections" in a bid to control resources, he noted.

Police have targeted key regions to crack down on gangs, including Shanxi province in North China, Guangdong province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in South China and Southwest China's Guizhou province, where gangs bullied people and manipulated elections in rural areas, Liao said.

According to Liao, gangsters often use "soft violence" such as threats, stalking and intimidation, rather than outright violence.

Gangs are also involved in debt collection, loans, and getting monopolies over wholesale markets and tourist routes.