Mayor: Polluters put on notice to leave

Beijing will push out industries that generate high levels of pollution and consume a lot of energy and water in order to make room for cleaner, high-tech sectors, the city's senior official said during a meeting on Beijing's first half economic and social development.

Wang Anshun, mayor of Beijing, said at a weekend conference it will eliminate about 300 heavy-polluting enterprises within the year and transfer out of the city manufacturing industries that attract a large transient population, consume lots of resources and have lost their competitive edge.

"The city has been struggling to cope with the tension between a soaring population and scarce natural resources, which has led to traffic jams, water scarcity and air pollution," Wang said.