On June 13, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cui Tiankai made the following statement amidst continued controversy over U.S. embassy and consulate air quality monitoring:
Beijing is over 16,000 square kilometers big. Relying on just one or two points to monitor air quality won’t work. Relying on amateur institutions such as foreign embassies is also unacceptable, and moreover exceeds their function. Ultimately, we must depend on the Chinese people’s own efforts.
北京面积大到1万6000多平方公里，要做好空气监测仅靠一两个点不行，依靠外国驻华使馆这样一些非专业机构也是不行的，并且这已经完全超出了驻华使馆的职能。归根结底还是要靠我们中国人自己的努力。
Read netizen reactions to the dispute.
Via SneezeBloid. Translated by Josh Rudolph.
