Steel Capacity Cap

North China’s Hebei Province will cap its steel capacity at 200 million tons by 2020 in its fight against air pollution.

The total steel capacity in Hebei, Beijing’s neighbor and home to several of the country’s most polluted cities, was cut to 239 million tons in 2017 from its peak of 320 million tons in 2011. Local authorities plan to cut a further 10 million tons this year.

The provincial government said on August 27 it will also limit the capacity of cement, flat glass, coal and coke by 2020.

An economic structure dominated by heavy industry is the major factor behind severe air pollution in Hebei.

The Central Government has ordered the closure or relocation of highly polluting companies in urban areas.

Hebei has set a target to reduce the average concentration of PM

2.5, a major atmospheric particulate matter, to 55 micrograms per cubic meter by 2020, 15 percent less than in 2017.

Hebei and several other regions around Beijing host major steelmakers, coal mines, aluminum producers and chemical plants. They are at the forefront of the country’s fight against air pollution. People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee for the fourth reading at a bimonthly session.

“The law is necessary to protect the legitimate interests of all ecommerce participants, regulate conduct, maintain market order and improve the sustainable and sound development of e-commerce,” Xu Hui, Vice Chairman of the NPC Constitution and Law Committee, read from a report to legislators.

Operators engaging in crossborder e-commerce should abide by laws and administrative regulations regarding import and export, according to the draft law.

E-commerce platform operators may face a penalty of 500,000 yuan ($73,327), or up to 2 million yuan ($293,300) in serious cases, for failing to take necessary steps