Greenpeace: China air pollution shifts west

Hazy vision: Buildings loom in the gloom of a moderately polluted day at Nanjing in Jiangsu province. — Reuters

BEIJING: Air pollution in western China jumped in the first three months of 2016, a Greenpeace report showed, while the vast majority of cities throughout the country failed to meet national standards.

China’s cities are often hit by heavy pollution, blamed on coal-burning by power stations, heavy industry and vehicle use, and it has become a major source of discontent with the ruling Communist Party.