China can forecast smog three days in advance

An air quality early warning system means smoggy weather in China can now be forecasted two or three days in advance, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said on Thursday.

At a meeting on environmental monitoring, Wu Xiaoqing, vice minister of the ministry, said an air quality forecast and early warning center covering the country was in operation. It has a forecast accuracy rate of 60 to 70 percent.

China began air quality forecasts in 47 major cities in 1998.

The new system covers all prefecture-level cities in the Yangtze Delta, Pearl River Delta, areas surrounding Beijing and other capital cities of provincial-level regions.

Wu called for improvements in the system for heavily-polluted air quality through remote sensing and other cutting edge technology, as well as innovating new ways to publicize air quality information.