Air pollutants control: 3.8 percent and 14 years

Air pollutants control: 3.8 percent and 14 years

In 2012, the density of major air pollutants in Beijing, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, chemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen, dropped by 3.8 percent on average, and the air quality has continued to improve for 14 consecutive years since 1998. Beijing has set up 35 stations for the real-time air quality monitoring of PM2.5, or airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.

In 2013, Beijing will exert more efforts to treat PM2.5 and slash the density of major air pollutants by 2 percent from levels recorded in 2012. The city implemented a stricter auto-emission standard on February 1 in a move to reduce the city's auto pollution by 40 percent. In 2013, another 200 high-emission companies will be banned from production in order to control industrial air pollution.