BEIJING -- China has experienced more frequent sandstorms this year compared with the past 10 years, an expert with the country's meteorological authority has said.

The latest round of sandstorms buffeting China covered more than 4.5 million square kilometers and affected over 20 provincial-level regions as of Thursday, said Zhang Bihui, an expert with the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

China has seen eight rounds of sand-dust weather since the start of the year, more than any other year in the past decade, Zhang said.

Gui Hailin, an expert from the NMC, said that the recent sand-dust weather originated in Mongolia and central and western parts of Inner Mongolia.

The dust from southern Mongolia was supplemented and strengthened along the way as it passed through arid and semi-arid areas in north China, Gui said.

To prevent sandstorms, China has been devoted to afforestation and addressing desertification in northern parts of the country for years.

As desertification control cannot be achieved overnight, experts urged more efforts to restore vegetation and strengthen international cooperation to tackle the common problem of sandstorms.