http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/w...mbassies-to-stop-measuring-air-pollution.html
China Asks Embassies to Stop Measuring Air Pollution
HONG KONG After years of choking smog that stings the eyes and burns the lungs being regularly documented by an air sensor at the American Embassy in Beijing that posts the results hourly on Twitter, the Chinese government took a strong position on the issue on Tuesday.
Wu Xiaoqing, the vice minister for environmental protection, demanded that foreign governments stop releasing data on Chinas air.
In a criticism clearly aimed at the United States, Mr. Wu said at a news conference that the public release of air-quality data by foreign governments consulates not only doesnt abide by the spirits of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, but also violates relevant provisions of environmental protection.
He complained that data from just a few locations were unrepresentative of broader air quality in China. He asserted that it was a mistake for a few of the consulates in China to be assigning labels, like hazardous to Chinas air based on standards that were drafted in industrialized countries and tightened over the course of many years.