China is drafting more laws, regulations and standards to curb exhaust emission, noise and other pollution caused by its growing number of motor vehicles.

The State Environmental Protection Administration and several other government departments are working together to regulate the maximum emission allowed for different types of motor vehicles throughout their life cycles. This will include motorbikes and motor-driven tricycles, said Li Xinmin, an official in charge of pollution control with the administration.

Li said the new regulations would effectively reduce auto- related pollution in China because it will keep cars that don't measure up from ever reaching streets.

"Motor vehicles that fail to meet the standards will not be registered by traffic administration departments," he said.

On the other hand, China is also setting up national standards on exhaust emission limits for different vehicles, including the national 3 standard for light vehicles and the national 3, 4 and 5 standards for heavy vehicles. "These will become available before the end of this year," said Li.

Exhaust emission has become a notorious source of pollutants like carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon in China as more families are buying private cars.

The State Environmental Protection Administration has predicted that gas emissions of motor vehicles would account for 79 percent of urban air pollution in the country by 2005.

Beginning in 1983, China has worked to reduce exhaust emission, noise and other auto-related pollution, said Li.

In 1998, China started to publish catalogs of new vehicles up to exhaust emission standards and conduct regular tests on vehicles in service in more than 100 cities.

In 2003, 70 percent of China's in-service motor vehicles had passed emission tests, compared with 50 percent reported in 1995.

Beijing has started to impose the Euro 2 emission standards on all gasoline and diesel oil products this month, with hopes to reduce exhaust emission from its two million motor vehicles.

Environmental protection experts have estimated this would reduce exhaust pollution by 30 percent.

The Euro system of standards sets limits on the amount of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and other compounds permitted in car emission. Beijing introduced the standards for new vehicles and plans to gradually to retire older models that don't meet the standards.

Environmental authorities in Beijing also confirmed the city would impose Euro 3 standards fuel, which contains still less sulfur than the Euro 2 products, starting July 1, 2005.

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2004)