This Day, That Year

Item from May 7, 1997, in China Daily: The sale of leaded fuel will be forbidden within Beijing city proper starting June 1, 1997, while the sale of leaded fuel in outlying areas will be forbidden as of Jan 1, 1998, the Beijing municipal government said yesterday.

Unleaded petrol will be available for purchase in order to hasten the improvement in the air quality of Beijing ... By the first quarter of 1997, there were 1.17 million motor vehicles in Beijing, and the rate of increase in the 1990s was 15 percent every year. Sixty-five percent of the lead in the city air comes from motor vehicles' fuel, and it has bad effects on human health, especially the health of pregnant women and babies.

China is promoting new energy vehicles with a series of measures, including exemptions on purchase tax and the launch of a number of free car license plates, as part of ongoing efforts to reduce pollution and conserve resources.