This Day, That Year

Item from Oct 10, 1998, in China Daily: Most cities in South China saw good air quality last week. In northern China, air quality worsened due to overcast and windless conditions. Zhengzhou, Henan province, was the most polluted city last week.

China has been fighting air pollution for the past several years through reducing the production of steel and use of coal-fired electricity.

Cities are pressing residents to get rid of coal-burning stoves and furnaces at home. Officials have required higher-quality gasoline and diesel for vehicles. Vehicle emission standards set to take effect in 2020 will be comparable to Europe and the United States.

In April, the State Council endorsed a clear strategy for tackling air pollution and its causes by establishing a new body of procedures and processes that will include input from different ministries and departments to break down administrative divisions.

Thanks to the series of measures, progress has been made in the battle against smog. Last year, the 338 cities monitored by the Ministry of Environmental Protection enjoyed good air quality for 78.8 percent of the days, up 2.1 percentage points from 2015.

In 2012, the State Council passed revised air quality standards which include indices for the concentration of PM2.5, particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers or less, and ozone over a period of eight hours.