Many companies in Beijing and the neighboring regions have been found to be discharging pollutants into the air, despite current restrictions to guarantee the air quality ahead of the coming APEC meetings, the top environmental watchdog said on Tuesday.
 In five days of inspections starting on Oct 20, the Ministry of Environmental Protection sent 16 groups to six provinces and regions - Beijing and Tianjin; Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan provinces, and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, to implement measures designed to cut air pollutant emissions by at least 30 percent before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Beijing in November.
 They found some cities, such as Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, and Jinan, Shandong province, had failed to issue detailed requirements to polluting companies for the period. Many iron and steel companies continued to discharge air pollutants, as did a cement plant in Beijing.Â
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Many companies in Beijing and the neighboring regions have been found to be discharging pollutants into the air, despite current restrictions to guarantee the air quality ahead of the coming APEC meetings, the top environmental watchdog said on Tuesday.
