Environmental authority warns of 'lingering' smog

While the country has seen a general improvement in air quality, the head of the country's top environmental authority has warned of lingering smog in a few areas, during a report on Wednesday to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

The average concentration of PM2.5 - particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less - dropped by 6.5 percent last year from 2016, Li Ganjie, minister of ecology and environment, told committee.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region stood out in air quality improvement with PM2.5 concentration down by almost 10 percent. The average concentration in the capital reached 58 micrograms per cubic meter last year with a year-on-year decrease of about 21 percent, Li said.