China's clean air bid scares rivals in duel over dirty fuel

Seoul

CHINA'S recent push to clean up its air is leaving some of its neighbours feeling threatened.

The Asian country's road to cleaner air has been gradual, with lead-free petrol only becoming a requirement in 2000, almost three decades behind the US.

This month, China imposed new curbs on the amount of sulphur in vehicle fuels to about a fifth of the previous standard, putting it on par with Europe, which has the world's strictest emissions controls.

While the change helps China battle the smog that's choking residents from Beijing to Xian, many of its refiners still produce the dirtier fuel. That's causing concern in both South Korea and Japan that China will boost exports of low-quality diesel to markets such as Indonesia and Malaysia, where standards are laxer. Both depend on Sout…