With the goal of a smog-free future, the Ministry of Environmental Protection added ammonia nitrogen and nitrogen oxide to its list of reduction targets, the British newspaper The Guardian reported Friday.
Increased measures will be taken to cut vehicles' exhausts and to tackle the worst polluting industries such as paper-making, textiles and chemical plants, the ministry said.
The announcement comes in advance of China's new five-year economic plan, which is expected to include greater environmental protection requirements.
It wasn't until 2005 that China included modest pollution reduction targets in the state plan.
Those first targets were achieved, although Beijing and other major cities remain shrouded in smog for much of the year.
Analysts say Chinese officials now have the confidence to add tougher targets to make a tangible impact.
"What they are trying to do this time is really push the ball forward to do enough to actually make a visible difference," Deborah Seligsohn of the World Resources Institute said. "You are seeing a transition from showing effect to showing results". UPI
