国内英语资讯:China Focus: Acting mayor of Beijing vows to tackle smog_时事

国内英语资讯:China Focus: Acting mayor of Beijing vows to tackle smog

BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Cai Qi, deputy Party chief and acting mayor of Beijing, has promised to take tougher measures to improve the city's air quality in 2017.

"Like many of us, I am used to checking the weather and the air quality index (AQI) of Beijing first thing in the morning. I totally understand the public's concerns and complaints over air pollution," Cai said during a three-hour meeting with press and citizens on Saturday after a spell of smog lasting more than a week in the city.

Cai said he felt rather upset because the lingering smog had brought inconvenience and harm to people's life.

He Ren, an expert representing Beijing Volunteer Service Federation,asked why there seemed to a discrepancy between official AQI readings and citizens' first-hand experience when it came to air pollution.

"Despite that the central and municipal governments have acted decisively and invested a lot to tackle air pollution in recent years, there is still a long way to go to meet the expectation of the public," he said.

Beijing waged "wars" against coal use in rural areas and high pollution vehicles last year. The average concentration of hazardous PM2.5 was 73 micrograms per cubic meter, down about 10 percent compared with 2015.

"Though we have made some progresses, air pollution in winter is still very serious. That's why the government must strengthen environmental protection and step up supervision and accountability in 2017.