The northeastern China province of Jilin has vowed to phase out freon, an ozone-depleting refrigerant, in the next 18 months.  

By May 1, 2005, freon as a refrigeration agent in all air-conditioned automobiles, industrial and commercial refrigeration equipment and home appliances in service will have been replaced with new refrigerants that are up to international standards, according to sources with the provincial government.

The rule will apply to automakers in the traditional industrial base, the service sector - food and beverage industry in particular - as well as home appliance makers, starting from May 1, 2004.

In the meantime, the provincial government will outlaw the sale and storage of freezing equipment with freon as a refrigerant as well as the chemical itself in the cities of Changchun and Jilin, with a view to phasing out the chemical across the province by 2005.

In an effort to protect the ecological environment, Sanya, a tourist destination in the southernmost island province of Hainan, vowed in 2001 to become China's first freon-free city, and was soon followed by Tianjin, a port city some 120 km from the nation's capital Beijing.

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2003)