To ensure “military parade blue” skies, Beijing may cut 6 million tons of steel production capacity.

To ensure air quality during the events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and to achieve “parade blue,” Beijing has drawn on its environmental protection experience from the APEC meeting and is implementing a four-phase plan to improve atmospheric conditions. Industry analysts note that this round of air‑quality measures could cut steel production capacity by 6 million tons—twice the scale of production restrictions imposed during the previous global summit held in Beijing.

　　To ensure air quality during the commemorative events marking the 70th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau announced on August 12 that it would launch a “Special Air‑Quality Enforcement Month” from August 3 to September 4, targeting issues such as industrial emissions, dust pollution, and open‑air barbecuing. Analysts suggest that authorities may cut steel production by 6 million tons in order to achieve “military parade blue” skies.

　　According to reports, the campaign is divided into four phases: the “Special Inspection Campaign for Industrial Enterprises,” the “Special Inspection Campaign for Coal-Smoke–Type Pollution,” the “Special Inspection Campaign for Dust and Burning Activities,” and the “Support and Assurance Campaign.”

　　At present, the first-phase inspection has been completed, covering all enterprises in the city that emit volatile organic compounds and particulate matter. A total of 120 violations were identified, and administrative penalties are proposed for each case.

　　In the third phase, the relevant authorities will conduct comprehensive inspections of issues such as construction-site dust, open-air barbecuing, and open-air burning.

　　Mu Liang, deputy researcher with the Beijing Municipal Environmental Inspection Corps, stated that this month-long enforcement campaign draws on the inspection and law‑enforcement experience gained during last year’s APEC Summit and can be summarized as a “3+1” initiative: three dedicated enforcement weeks combined with one supporting operation.

　　According to reports, Beijing will also join forces with the neighboring provinces and municipalities of Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Tianjin, and Inner Mongolia to launch an air-quality‑protection plan for major events. Drawing on the measures implemented during the APEC summit, more than 10,000 enterprises are expected to suspend or limit production, while over 40,000 construction sites may be ordered to halt operations.

　　Industry analysts note that the impact of this military parade and the World Athletics Championships on steel mill output will be less than 6.51 million tons, with estimates hovering around 6 million tons—close to the 6-million-ton mark.

　　Earlier, industry analysts reported that, based on their discussions with policymakers and steel plants, this round of “military‑parade blue” air‑quality measures could cut steel production capacity by as much as 6 million tonnes—twice the scale of the previous production‑restriction measures implemented during a global summit held in Beijing.

　　According to the analyst, nearly all steel mills in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei will be affected. Although the final plan has not yet been finalized, its scope is expected to exceed that of the APEC summit.

　　On the 12th, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Inspection Corps announced that, as of the end of July, Beijing’s environmental inspection authorities had initiated administrative cases and imposed penalties in 1,773 instances of environmental violations, with total fines amounting to RMB 78.2848 million. Among these, 1,000 cases involved air‑quality violations, resulting in fines totaling RMB 24.0123 million.

　　In the first half of 2015, Tongzhou District in Beijing carried out a campaign to address polluting enterprises, shutting down a total of 59 companies in sectors such as chemicals, building materials, metallurgy, and printing. Meanwhile, the municipal environmental protection authorities, in coordination with district governments, also cracked down on illegal sand and gravel plants and undertook the restoration of landscape forests.