Air quality in China 'at serious levels'

A Chinese minister has stated that air quality in the country's states is at worryingly bad levels, despite various strategies introduced by the government of late to clean it up.

The People's Daily quotes environmental protection minister Zhou Shengxian as saying that the difficulties in managing air quality are "intensifying" in China.

He explained: "There is potential for serious air pollution incidents to happen and the air environment is extremely severe".

Environmental regulations and "protection systems" need to be better managed if this situation is to change, Mr Shengxian stated.

He cited Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province as being areas of concern when it comes to air quality, though there have been some cities where this has improved.

Car fumes are one of the major culprits for China's pollution problems, he further claimed.

China is considering setting itself official carbon reduction targets for the first time ever, according to member of the country's climate change negotiating team Su Wei.