A chemical plant in China has reportedly exploded, just weeks after nearly 160 were killed in a blast at one of the country’s ports.

Bright flames and black smoke were seen coming from what was thought to be the location of a chemical factory in the Chinese industrial zone of Lijin, Dongying City of Shandong, early on Tuesday morning (AEST).

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The blast is likely to heighten concerns with China’s chemical industry, an industry many say needs safety improvements to protect nearby residents, the Daily Mail reported.

According to the Mirror, authorities have not established if there were any injuries or fatalities in the latest blast.

Three decades of strong economic growth has been blemished by safety failures, including an explosion at a warehouse in the port city of Tianjin on August 12 that killed 158 and injured hundreds.

The Lijin explosion was the second blast in Shandong this month.

On August 22 eight people were injured when a chemical plant in Zibo flared up, reportedly shattering windows 1.5km away.

http://t.co/GnkavLCuOG – Another huge chemical explosion in China 31/08/2015 #DongyingCity http://t.co/2MZ2ZjXYrq pic.twitter.com/5sfKwI1c7N

— Explosion Videos (@Explodizer) August 31, 2015

Breaking: A blast seen and heard in a chemical industry zone in Lijin, Dongying City of Shandong around 23:25 Mon. pic.twitter.com/Yi29nJXEuX

— People’s Daily,China (@PDChina) August 31, 2015