On June 14, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced objectives for the country’s air pollution plan. For a number of industries, emissions of certain unspecified air pollutants will be lowered per unit of GDP by 30% by 2017. A previously set deadline for firms in industries such as iron, steel, cement, electrolytic aluminum and glass to address overcapacity issues will be moved up to 2014. Small particulate regulation will target regions with large urban populations, such as northeast Beijing and Tianjin and the Yangtze and Pearl River delta regions. More urban air quality data and industry pollutant emission data will be made public. Also, new projects that do not meet energy conservation and pollutant reduction goals will not receive support. The government will evaluate emissions standards for certain industries, as well as proposed amendments to the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law. The plan aims to boost natural gas, coal-bed methane and renewable energy use, strengthen fuel quality standards, and offer credit incentives to firms that invest in air pollution control technologies.

Source: Bloomberg BNA