China turns nose up at Japanese offer to help with air pollution

An offer by the Japanese Government to provide free air pollution monitoring instruments and technical support to China has so far received a cold shoulder, according to environment minister Nobuteru Ishihara.

China's major cities have frequently been shrouded in extreme smog this year, worrying many residents as PM2.5 particles can cause asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Ishihara said China's air pollution has affected Japan and officials from his department were sent to Beijing to communicate with Chinese officials on ways of reducing PM2.5 emission. The Japanese offered to provide funding to send Chinese experts to Japan to study ways of lessening the pollution problem.

The Chinese government showed little enthusiasm in collaborating with Japan, saying it "had sent researchers to the US and Europe to learn from their experience," said the Japanese minister.