Local officials' chokehold must end for cleaner air

Despite the central government's stringent rules on pollution control and emissions, improvement in air quality nationwide continues to fall short of public expectations, especially in the north of the country which is often smothered by heavy smog.

Part of the reason is that some local officials are reluctant to go all out to enforce those rules for fear they may have a detrimental effect on the local economy, hurting jobs and lowering the revenues that go to the local coffers, which reflects badly on their performance.

Some even resort to cheating, according to reports, by fabricating air pollution data so that polluting enterprises can carry on production despite the restrictions.