Beijing's hazardous pollution sparks Chinese media anger

Chinese media have reacted strongly to dangerous levels of pollution recorded in many northern cities in recent days.

In the capital, Beijing, at the weekend, air pollution soared past levels considered hazardous by the World Health Organization.

The official People's Daily said the smog was a "suffocating siege" which had to be urgently addressed.

The state-run China Daily said the country had to learn to balance development with quality of life.

Over the week, a dense smog had been gathering over Beijing and some 30 other cities in northern and eastern China, with visibility down to 100m in some places.

Official Beijing city readings on Saturday suggested pollution levels of over 400. An unofficial reading from a monitor at the US embassy recorded levels of over 800.

The Xinhua state news agency said there had been a sharp rise in people seeking treatment at the hospitals in the capital for respiratory problems.

The mother of one eight-month-old baby told the BBC her child had suffered from lung problems for months and that they recently worsened after an outing. Ms Li said she had resorted to keeping a basin of water in the house in the hope it might act as an air purifier.

"It would be helpful if the city has less cars and the city could [place] curbs on car emissions," Ms Li said.