Police and rescuers continued to search on Monday for a Shanghai hiker who has been missing for 20 days in remote areas of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, denying media reports that said they have stopped searching.

A task force with a Kazak ethnic group background is searching for the missing man, Xu Guang, in the depopulated zones, police in Altay prefecture said on Monday.

"We never said we were giving up the search and rescue efforts," police said. "Instead of giving up, police are actively preparing for the next round of rescue."