It's war on smog! China pledges pollution battle 'for the nation's future'

The central government yesterday declared a "war on pollution" and pledged greater reforms to move the world's second-largest economy towards a more balanced growth model this year.

Premier Li Keqiang outlined the initiatives as part of the State Council's annual work report to the opening session of the National People's Congress, his first since taking office.

Li told the national legislature that the country would fight pollution with the same determination it mustered over the past three decades in battling poverty.

"[Pollution is] nature's red-light warning against the model of inefficient and blind development," Li said. "Efforts to protect the environment matter to people's lives and the future of the Chinese nation."

More mainland cities have been increasingly beset by thick, acrid smog, posing health risks, fuelling popular anger over the declining environment and generating criticism of Beijing's economic management. The 32-page work report was one of three key policy documents delivered to the NPC yesterday, along with the annual budget and the National Development and Reform Council's report on social and economic development.