The New York Times writes, "A Chinese admiral said Sunday that Beijing could set up an air defense zone above disputed areas of the South China Sea if it thought it was facing a large enough threat, according to Chinese news media. Adm. Sun Jianguo... said that China had not definitely said it would create a so-called air defense identification zone, but that any decision would be based on an aerial threat assessment and the maritime security situation. He also said other nations should not overemphasize the issue. The creation of an air defense zone would be viewed by the United States and Southeast Asian nations as a huge provocation."
"A tough new ban on smoking indoors rolls out across the Chinese capital Monday, with lighting up now prohibited in all offices, shopping malls, restaurants, bars and airports. Many outdoor public places such as the areas outside kindergartens and hospitals will also be required to be smoke-free. Businesses and institutions that flout the law will face fines of up to 10,000 yuan ($1,600) and repeat offenders could have their licenses revoked...the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Beijing, says it's a 'major advance' in tobacco control in China, where more cigarettes are smoked than anywhere else in the world," reports CNN.
According to Reuters, "China's biggest steelmaking province, Hebei, will order its big industrial emitters to pay for the pollution they discharge via a regional trading scheme beginning next year... Last year, seven of China's 10 smoggiest cities were situated in the northern province and it is under pressure from nearby Beijing to take action to control pollution from heavy industry...China has already rolled out pilot emission permit markets in 11 provinces, covering air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, as well as water pollution indicators such as chemical oxygen demand and ammonia."