SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's cabinet has issued a timetable for oil companies to deliver cleaner fuel nationwide beginning this year, the Xinhua news agency reported, but the new standards won't become mandatory for four years despite rising public anger over choking air pollution.
Thick smog has blanketed many Chinese cities in recent weeks and auto emissions are among the major contributors to the pollution.
A new standard will be issued for automobile petrol that caps sulfur content within 10 parts per million (ppm) before the end of the year, with a grace period extending to the end of 2017, Xinhua said after an executive meeting of the State Council that was chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.