Beijing air gets 'better' but still short of target

BEIJING - The amount of tiny particulate matter in the air detected in the capital has been decreasing in the past 10 years, according to the city's environmental protection regulator.

However, the average reading for PM2.5 (particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers) - a major cause of harmful smog - in 2010 in Beijing, was still double the target of 35 micrograms a cubic meter (cu m) set by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

"As a developing country, despite the government's efforts in promoting the city's air quality in the past 10 years, China still has a long and tough road to go to meet the public's expectations," said Yu Jianhua, director of the air pollution control division of the Beijing municipal environmental protection bureau.