China News Service, Beijing, October 14 (Li Xiaoyu) China has taken another step in controlling air pollution. According to the Ministry of Finance website on the 14th, the central government will allocate 5 billion yuan for air pollution control in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and surrounding areas. Since 2013, China has experienced a wide range of haze weather, affecting about 1/4 of the country's land area. According to data from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the number of days that the air quality in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region reached the standard in August was only about 30%, which was significantly behind the Yangtze River Delta region and less than half of the Pearl River Delta region. Among the top 10 cities with the worst air quality in August, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region accounted for 8, including 7 in Hebei Province. In order to effectively prevent and control pollution, in 2013, the central government integrated the relevant special funds and set up a special fund for air pollution prevention and control. According to the requirements of the Ministry of Finance, the 5 billion yuan fund will be used for air pollution control in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Shandong provinces, with emphasis on Hebei Province, which is seriously polluted. The funds will be allocated according to the three factors of expected pollutant emission reduction, pollution control investment and PM2.5 concentration reduction ratio in the above-mentioned areas in the way of "award instead of subsidy. According to the "Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan" announced in September, the PM2.5 concentration in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region should be reduced by 25% by 2017 compared with 2012. In order to achieve this goal, the prevention and control plan requires strict control of new production capacity in the "two highs" (high pollution and high energy consumption) industries, comprehensive implementation of clean production, control of total coal consumption, and vigorous promotion of new energy vehicles. (END)