Balancing act between economy and environment

Over the weekend, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in North China, known as Jing-Jin-Ji, saw the resurgence of alarming air pollution, with some forecast saying heavy smog could be on the way.

We have experienced relatively "clean blue sky" since last winter, compared with two or more years ago when the air quality index at times crossed 500.

In recent years, the strong public reaction to poor air quality reflects the increasing public awareness about the harm caused by air pollution and people's demand for" blue sky". The same was evident this month when forecasts signaled the return of smog.