Beijing authorities step up pollution watch ahead of Apec summit

With less than two weeks until world leaders arrive for the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation summit, Beijing has stepped up pollution monitoring as it tries to lift the veil of smog choking the capital.

The authorities said yesterday that from tomorrow they would issue daily air quality forecasts for the coming week, and release hourly pollution readings.

The China National Environmental Monitoring Centre will also hold a daily video conference with units in Beijing, Tianjin , Hebei , Inner Mongolia , Shanxi and Shandong at 3pm to discuss and forecast air quality, the Legal Evening News reported.

The results will be flashed on outdoor electronic display screens and released through the internet and mobile applications. An additional meeting will be convened in the morning if pollution is expected.

Another monitoring station has been set up at Yanxi Lake in Huairou district, where President Xi Jinping will meet Apec leaders on November 10 and 11, bringing the city's total number of stations to 36.

Beijing remained engulfed in heavy smog yesterday and the pollution is not expected to lift until tomorrow.

The official air quality index (AQI) stood at 363 at 7pm, a level classified as "severely polluted".