China Offers To Help As 'Very Poor' Air Chokes Delhi: What India Can Learn from Beijing’s Smog Battle

China has offered to help India tackle its worsening pollution crisis, particularly in the National Capital Region, as Delhi continues to choke amid thick smog and a "very poor" Air Quality Index (AQI). 

The Chinese Embassy in India on Wednesday posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Beijing is ready to share its experience in controlling severe air pollution after successfully improving air quality in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yu Jing wrote, “China once struggled with severe smog, too. We stand ready to share our journey toward blue ones, and believe India will get there soon.”

How China Fought Its Pollution Crisis

Over the past decade, China has faced pollution challenges similar to India’s. In 2013, the Chinese government declared a “war against pollution,” launching a multi-year, USD 100 billion campaign to clean its toxic air. 

Key steps included relocating industries away from dense urban areas, restricting vehicular emissions, shutting down heavy-polluting factories, and switching from coal to natural gas for energy. These aggressive reforms led to visible improvements across several cities.

According to The New York Times, Beijing now enjoys more than 100 additional days of clear skies each year compared to when the campaign began.

China also focused heavily on reforestation and renewable energy. Through landmark initiatives like the “Great Green Wall” project, the country planted over 35 billion trees across 12 provinces, which was one of the largest afforestation efforts in recent times.

Data from Earth.org shows that China’s forestry expenditure per hectare surpassed that of the US and Europe, standing nearly three times higher than the global average. Alongside this, the nation significantly ramped up clean energy production, integrating solar, and wind power across its industrial infrastructure.

Delhi’s Air Quality Remains In ‘Very Poor’ Category

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remains far from safe levels. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city's air quality remained in the red zone with an overall AQI of 335 at 9 AM on Saturday, which is categorised as "very poor". PM2.5 remained the key pollutant today.

Since Diwali, the city's air quality has been either "poor" or "very poor," and even worsened to "severe" occasionally.

According to the CPCB, an AQI between 0–50 is considered "good," 51–100 "satisfactory," and 101–200 "moderate". Levels between 201–300 fall in the "poor" category and can cause breathing discomfort to most individuals upon prolonged exposure.

AQI scores of 301–400 are labeled "very poor," often leading to respiratory issues, while 401–500 is deemed "severe," affecting even healthy individuals and posing serious risks to those with existing conditions.

 

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