After decades of filthy growth, China has come up with a new law to tax heavy industry for its pollution. The National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, which is the decision-making unit of the Chinese parliament, said the new Environment Protection Tax would become effective on Jan. 1, 2018, giving local industries and provincial governments time to adjust.
Analysts say China wants to wait long enough to see whether U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will scrap the Paris climate deal, one of his campaign promises, and then examine the affects of such a move. If the Trump administration were to disrupt the climate agreement, China would be under no obligation to concede to the agreement, they said.