Pollution control dents Hebei's GDP

The GDP of Hebei province expanded only 4.2% y/y in Q1 2014, falling short of 2014 annual target of 8.0%, as steel output fell and factories closed amid government efforts to upgrade environmental standard. Hebei province is China's biggest steelmaking region. To combat dangerous smog, Hebei pledged to cut 60 million tons of steel capacity by 2017. Hebei’s Q1 GDP growth was the second lowest of 29 provincial-level regions that have so far released data.