China's Factories Flaunt Anti-smog Rules

China's environmental inspectors have found a shockingly high number of violations in their crackdown on smog, raising questions about support for the government's air quality goals. 

According to statements from the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), two-thirds of the companies visited in inspections since April were violating emissions rules. While controversy swirls around President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the effect on greenhouse gas emissions, China's high rate of environmental violations may spell trouble for the separate issue of visible pollution. Last month, state media reported that 5,594 firms, or 66.2 percent of those examined by May 2, had failed to comply with environmental standards during a sweep of 28 northern cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Read more