12,000 polluters to suspend production

More than 12,200 coal-fired boilers and factories in polluting industries will suspend production starting Aug 28 in a bid to get good air quality for the city's Sept 3 military parade by reducing polluting emissions.

The restrictions will cover Beijing and six surrounding areas - Tianjin; Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi and Henan provinces; and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The capital will also restrict the use of vehicles whose license plates end with odd or even numbers on alternate days to clean the air in preparation for the parade marking the 70th anniversary of China's victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).