Beijing plans to meet air quality standard by 2030

Beijing plans to meet the national air quality standard by 2030, according to a blueprint for the city's overall planning (2016-2030).

The blueprint was submitted to the standing committee of the municipal people's congress for deliberation on Tuesday.

The Chinese capital aims to cut the concentration of hazardous fine particle matter PM2.5 to 56 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020 and 35 micrograms per cubic meter in 2030, according to the document.

Authorities will use tough environmental standards to force industry upgrades and step up regional environmental inspections to tackle air pollution, said Wei Chenglin, head of the Beijing Municipal Planning and Land Resources Management Committee.

In 2016, the average density of PM 2.5 in Beijing was 73 micrograms per cubic meter, down 9.9 percent from the previous year, official data showed.

Restricted by water resources, Beijing aims to cap its population at 23 million in 2020 and keep it at that level for the long term, said Wei.

The number of the city's permanent residents grew marginally by 0.1 percent to 21.7 million in 2016. Besides the restriction on population growth, the city also plans to shrink the rural and urban construction land while expanding its ecological control area.

Meanwhile, the city seeks to tackle other "urban illnesses," including traffic jams, through more subways. In 2020, the total length of the metro system in Beijing will reach 1,000 kilometers, said Wei.

At the end of 2016, the total length hit 574 km. Beijing will give priority to the development of its public transport system and use it to steer city expansion, the official said.