A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck a remote province in China, with a second quake of magnitude 5.8 following just 18 minutes later, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The earthquakes in Xinghai county in the northwestern Chinese province of Qinghai struck at 11.16am and 11.34am on Tuesday at a depth of 10 kilometres (6 miles), with the epicentre located in a sparsely populated, high-altitude area about 244 km (152 miles) from Xining, the capital of Qinghai.

Noticeable tremors were felt in Xining, state-run Xinhua news agency said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or building collapses, and "public order remains stable overall," Xinhua said.

Emergency response teams are on their way to the epicentre, it said.

Qinghai province in China’s northwest is sparsely populated and often experiences earthquakes.

A video from state broadcaster CCTV showed dust clouds rising from cliffs as the land shook.

The earthquakes also impacted Lanzhou in neighbouring Gansu province, one of the largest cities in the area.

Social media videos showed lamps swinging inside residences in the city.

Earlier this month, an earthquake of magnitude 5.0 struck the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan at a depth of 6km (3.7 miles), according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre.

The quake's epicentre was in a village of around 1,300 residents in the mountainous Mojiang county, part of the city of Pu'er in the southwestern border province.

The village is around 100km (62 miles) from China's borders with Laos and Vietnam.

Railway authorities halted some passenger train services in the area following the quake, leading to delays in the international China-Laos Railway, state media said. Inspections of train tracks and equipment are being carried out.

Local residents in Mojiang county said they felt a significant tremor, Xinhua reported.