Inner Mongolia's green efforts aid Beijing

Conservation efforts in Inner Mongolia have spurred the northern region's development and benefited the national capital, top regional officials said yesterday in Beijing.

The autonomous region, which is known as a major source of the seasonal sandstorms that blanket Beijing, has "done what it could" to curb ecological deterioration, Yang Jing, chairman of the regional government, said.

"Protecting the environment has been listed as Inner Mongolia's most important infrastructure project," Yang told a press conference organized by the State Council Information Office yesterday to mark the region's 60th anniversary.