Item from March 16, 1996, in China Daily: Qu Geping (seated, left), chairman of the Environment and Resources Protection Committee of the National People's Congress, and his colleague Lin Zonglang answer questions at a press conference in Beijing yesterday. To bring pollution and massive land erosion under control, the government has speeded up legislation, Qu said.

China has been fighting pollution and environmental degradation after decades of fast economic growth left the country saddled with problems such as smog and contaminated soil and water.

To address these issues, the country is stepping up legislative measures.

The revised Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law was adopted in 2008, and a Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law is being drafted. The Law of Air Pollution Prevention was amended in 2015.

National action plans on tackling air, water and soil pollution have also been implemented.

This year, the central government plans to take comprehensive measures to reduce emission of pollutants, especially from coal burning.

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions will be cut by 3 percent year-on-year, and PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less that are harmful to humans, will fall sharply in key areas, the report said.