China to Expand Air Quality Monitoring Network

A national air quality monitoring network with nearly 950 monitoring stations is expected to be operational in 190 Chinese cities by the end of the year, a senior environmental official said Friday.

There are plans to build 440 air quality observation points in 116 cities this year after 496 such points were built in 74 cities last year, said Wu Xiaoqing, vice minister of environmental protection, at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing parliamentary session.

The network will publicize real-time monitoring data of air quality after being put into operation, Wu said.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection will also supervise and urge major pollutant discharging enterprises to disclose their pollutant discharge information this year, he said.

The ministry is expected to introduce a pollution prevention and control policy over the fine particulate matter soon, he said.