Chinese vice premier urges efforts on air pollution control in north China

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (C) attends a meeting on coordinated pollution control in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and nearby regions, in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 25, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli Thursday urged more efforts to control air pollution.

Zhang made the remarks at a meeting in Beijing on coordinated pollution control in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and nearby regions.

China has made progress against pollution over the past five years with air quality obviously improved, Zhang said.

Zhang called for drafting and implementing a three-year action plan to win the battle for a blue sky in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and nearby areas, stressing action on sources of pollution.

Proper measures were required on clean energy for winter heating in northern China and to ensure the supply of natural gas.

The vice premier called for quicker updates to the industrial structure and asked enterprises in the region to meet environmental standards.

Zhang also asked for better regulation of vehicle emissions and giving more play to railways in cargo transport.

Major air pollutants plummeted in 2017, the country's environmental authority said in an earlier statement. The average PM2.5 level in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was 64 micrograms per cubic meter, down 9.9 percent from 2016, while that in 338 cities monitored by the environmental ministry stood at 43 micrograms per cubic meter, falling 6.5 percent.

Editor: Wang Shixue