China budgets funds to cut air pollution

BEIJING - The Ministry of Finance announced Monday that the central government has budgeted 5 billion yuan ($814 million) for rewarding air pollution treatment efforts in several regions.

These regions include the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi and Shandong, as well as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to a ministry statement.

Allocation of funds to the provincial-level regions will be made after the end of the year and will differ based on each region's pollution reduction target, investment in pollution treatment, and rate of PM2.5 decline, according to the statement.

PM2.5 refers to airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which are blamed for frequent smoggy weather in the Chinese capital of Beijing and neighboring regions.