A senior environmental official said yesterday that stronger efforts will be made to phase out ozone depleting substances (ODS) and that production and consumption of major ODS will have ceased by 2010.

Li Xinmin, deputy director of the Pollution Control Department of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), said that progress so far meant that "China will reach the target two and a half years ahead of the schedule in the Montreal protocol."

Li made the remarks at the opening of the South Asia, Southeast Asia and Pacific network meeting of ozone officers, sponsored by the UN Environment Program.

Since ratifying the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Ozone Protection Protocol, Li said China had been phasing out ODS in various sectors.

By the end of 2004, CFC production and consumption had been reduced from 1997 levels by 40 and 55 percent respectively. Meanwhile, halon production and consumption had been cut by 85 percent.

Li also said China is committed to stopping production and consumption of non-essential CFCs by July 1, 2007, and that the period from 2006 will be key as the focus shifts from investment in phasing out ODS to strengthening supervision of remaining production and consumption.

ODS management regulations began to be drafted in 2004 to crack down on illegal production, consumption and trade of ODS with legal instruments, he said.

Speaking at the meeting, Maria Nolan, chief officer of the secretariat of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, said that one of the big challenges in the region is the need to monitor and achieve a balance between supply and demand for CFCs.

"There have been encouraging developments within India and China in controlling the flow of ODS across the borders," she said.

Nolan said that the fund's executive committee had approved China's request to advance the complete phase out of CFC production from 2010 to 2007.

"This will certainly have an impact on reducing global supply of CFCs," she said.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Vienna Convention, and a series of events will be held in Vienna to mark the occasion, according to the Secretariat for the convention and Montreal protocol.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2005)