Shijiazhuang halts operations of pharmaceutical manufacturers

China's largest pharmaceutical industrial base has temporarily shuttered all companies in the sector to control pollution.

"All medicine producers cannot resume operations without permission," read an order released on Nov 17 by the government of Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province.

The move was one of the measures introduced to reduce the average annual concentration of PM2.5 - small particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter that can be harmful to the lungs-by 10 percent from last year's level.