Beijing will ban the consumption of high-polluting fuels in downtown areas by 2020, the municipal environmental protection authority said.
Fifty-six mines have been shut down in north China's Hebei Province, which holds the country's smoggiest cities.
Beijing will issue a new urban planning strategy by the end of this year that will for the first time contain a plan to preserve large and green "air corridors".
A special court for environmental cases was opened on Friday in East China's Fujian province. It is the country's first such specialized judiciary organ.
A total of 70.6 percent of the 74 Chinese cities monitored for air quality in April met the national air quality standards, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Friday.
Beijing will impose a new fee on the discharge of volatile organic compounds, targeting the city's industrial enterprises that release the pollutants.
Hiked-up penatlies on polluting firms in Beijing have helped the city rake in $14 million so far, more than 10 times than in the same period last year.
As pollution lowers quality of life for many foreigners, smaller or coastal cities are becoming a magnet thanks to a good environment, reports Zhang Yuchen
Beijing is imposing harsh fines against polluting enterprises in an attempt to cut down on the region's notorious smog.
Lingering smog has severely reduced the visibility in Liaoning Province, where air and highway traffic was forced to be partially closed.
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