China's environment minister, Chen Jining, said on Thursday that the government needed more power to go after polluters and local government officials that impede compliance with environmental regulations.

"Companies are under pressure and local governments are under pressure, but there is still a long way to go before every enterprise obeys the law," Chen said, according
to Reuters.

China's pollution crisis has become increasingly severe. Air quality was so low in Beijing last December that the government issued its first official "red alert," which brought about school closures, limited factory production, and halved the number of cars allowed on the streets.

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