Beijing to earmark $2.57 billion to improve air quality

China's capital will earmark $2.57 billion this year to improve air quality in one of the world's most polluted city, authorities said today.

The funds will be used to cut back on coal use and eliminate outmoded vehicles in the capital.

Beijing has over 5.6 million registered vehicles. The city has also enforced an odd-even plate number restrictions during severe smog and also for big international events such as the 2008 Olympics and the APEC summit in 2014 to cut down on emissions.

The average density of PM2.5, airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, in Beijing last year declined by 6.2% year on year, statistics with the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau show.

Beijing, a city of over 21 million, aims for a year-on- year drop of 5% in its average PM2.5 reading in 2016, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The city government has also promised to remove 200,000 high-emission vehicles from the roads and promote the use of clean energy in 400 villages this year.