Beijing punished 1,394 cases involving air pollution with the penalty totaling 40.82 million yuan (US$5.89 million) in 2016, the municipal environmental protection bureau said at a press conference on Jan. 3.

Since the capital city implemented the Clean Air Action Plan (2013-2017), it has rolled out more major campaigns than the past 10 years combined, explained Li Xiang, vice head of the air quality department at the bureau.

Statistics showed that last year the city shut down 335 polluting companies in printing, casting and furniture-making, organized over 100 technology-upgrading campaigns for companies, reduced volatile organic compound emissions by about 13,700 tons, and upgraded over 1,500 gas-fired boilers to low-NOx burners.

The city also took measures to cut emissions from coal burning and vehicles.

It vowed to standardize the tiered pollution warning system and synergize efforts from neighboring cities and provinces in order to further curb emissions in the region.

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