Hebei springs to action against smog

Hebei will continue to curb the development of highly polluting industries such as steel and cement to achieve by 2020 a 40 percent reduction in PM2.5 concentration from the 2013 levels.

That will reduce the average concentration of PM 2.5 - airborne particles of less than 2.5 microns in diameter that are harmful to health - to 64.8 micrograms per cubic meter of air, according to the provincial government work report released on Friday, when the 2016 Hebei Provincial People's Congress started.

With the PM 2.5 reduction, severely air-polluted cities in the province are expected fall off the list of China's 10 smoggiest cities.