Aiming to build itself into an international metropolis, Beijing has, since it defined pollution-control targets and counter-measures in 1998, invested some 30 billion yuan and adopted dozens of measures to control atmospheric pollution. A survey shows that urban air quality of Beijing has experienced marked improvement and notable results have been achieved in environmental protection.

Wang Guangtao, deputy mayor of Beijing, said that in order to hit the national standard target for the 2002 environment quality, Beijing has adopted these measures for improving the environment: popularizing the use of clean fuel such as natural gas, electricity, high-quality coal; renovating some 40,000 industrial furnaces and kitchen ranges and over 6,700 boilers, setting local standard, higher than State one, for tail gas emission of motor vehicles, and introducing comprehensive use of non-lead gasoline. The city has installed purifiers on 18,000 motor vehicles and remodeled 20,000 taxis and buses into vehicles using clean fuel. Up-to-standard rate of exhaust emission reaches 90 percent. To prevent and control dirt pollution in urban districts, the city afforested an area of 5.2 million sq. m. last year alone.

(People's Daily 01/22/01)