China is tightening emission standards for some parts of the country. At the 11th National People’s Congress in Beijing in March, Zhang Lijun, Vice Minister of Environmental Protection, revealed that the Chinese capital would see National Standard V, equivalent to Euro 5, in 2012. The number of cars in Beijing grew from 1 million in 1997 to 4.76 million in 2010. Authorities limited the number of new license plates to 240,000 in 2011, a third that of 2010. With such measures, the city’s air quality has improved steadily. In 2010, Zhang said, 78.4% of days rated excellent in air quality, as compared to less than 65% in 2005.