By signing the 1991 Montreal Protocol, China agreed to stop producing ozone-depleting chemicals, halon and chlorofluorocarbons, by 2010. Chinese officials announced today that they have already fulfilled their promise.
From the Hindu:
China today banned the production and import of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halon, two ozone depleting substances (ODS) with immediate effect, honouring its promise to phase out the substances two-and-a-half-years ahead of schedule.As the biggest producer and consumer of CFCs and halon among developing nations, China had disposed of about 100,000 tonnes of CFCs and about 80,000 tonnes of halon since it signed up the Montreal Protocol in 1991, deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), Zhang Lijun said. [Full Text]
See also the China Daily article on the closure of the last factories that produced halon and chlorofluorocarbons.
