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A senior Beijing official has revealed that authorities are assessing the feasibility of a new car restriction rule based on odd and even license plates to combat the city's heavy air pollution.

This comes as a new round of smog is once again hitting Beijing and its neighboring provinces.

However, Li Shixiang, the deputy mayor of Beijing, said Wednesday the proposed new rule may not necessarily become a reality in the near future.

Li said this during a forum on regional integration of Beijing and its neighbors of Hebei and Tianjin.

Li says the so-called "APEC blue", referencing the clear blue sky during the recently-concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference in Beijing, was a joint effort of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and adjacent areas.

An odd-even license plate policy for cars, including those from outside Beijing, was put in place from Nov. 3 to 12, reducing 50% of cars on the roads.

In a bid to regain the "APEC blue", some experts proposed that Beijing and its neighboring provinces should adopt the restriction rule on a daily basis, including weekends.

Meanwhile, Li adds that the Beijing Municipality government is currently carrying out its 2013-2017 Clean Air Action Plan to combat the severe air pollution. The action play will focus on reducing reliance on coal and petroleum as well as curbing waste emission and dust.

With over 800 billion yuan invested into the five-year plan, Beijing is estimated to reduce its annual density of PM2.5 to 60 micrograms per cubic meter of air, or so by 2017.

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