--FILE--Tourists visit the Tiananmen Square in heavy smog in Beijing, China, 26 February 2014. The governments of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province - known also as Jing-Jin-Ji - may have their differences in approach to regional integration, but the one thing not in dispute is the need to tackle the regions chronic air pollution. With as many as eight of the regions cities usually making the list of Chinas 10-most polluted places, officials are under mounting political pressure to find a solution. After rolling out their own plans to cut emissions - including phasing out polluting industries and replacing dirty coal with cleaner natural gas - the three local governments also agreed that the solution required a concerted joint approach, as pollution pays no respect to administrative boundaries. A coordinating committee was set up in October to lead the anti-pollution campaign, comprising not only officials from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei but also from surrounding provinces and several central ministries. Co-chaired by a deputy mayor of Beijing and a deputy minister of environmental protection, the groups main task is to provide joint forecasts on severe smog across the region and coordinate emergency responses when it occurs.
