No joke - China government warns northern cities to get serious in war on smog

A man wearing a face mask rides a bicycle on a bridge in front of the financial district of Pudong covered in smog during a polluted day in Shanghai, China November 22, 2017. REUTERS/Aly Song

BEIJING (Reuters) - Some northern Chinese cities failed to improve air quality by much last month, hitting the smog-prone region's overall results in a drive against pollution, the government said as it warned provincial officials to comply with stringent steps to clear the skies.

"Some cities did not improve air quality by much or even experienced some volatility, and in a way, they have dragged down the regional air quality level," Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) spokesperson, Liu Youbin, said at a regular briefing on Thursday.