Hebei shoulders capacity cutbacks

Beijing's smog-hit neighbor Hebei needs more subsidies to help it reduce overcapacity in its major polluting industries, according to provincial officials.

Zhang Qingwei, the governor, told a group discussion among deputies of the National People's Congress on Tuesday that iron and steel production capacity in the province would be limited to 200 million metric tons per annum by 2020.

This means that 60 percent of existing iron and steel companies in the province will be shut down or merged during the next four years.