China should speed up the research and development on air monitoring equipment in line with the rising demand after the country puts in place stricter air quality standards, an environment researcher said Saturday.

The equipment and technologies that China is using to monitor PM2.5 -- fine particles 2.5 microns or less in diameter -- are mainly from other countries, said Wen Xiangcai, a researcher at the China National Environmental Monitoring Center (CNEMC).

China's Cabinet, the State Council, on Wednesday passed revised air quality standards which include an index for the concentration of PM2.5. The monitoring will cover 113 model cities on the state environmental protection list and all cities in 2015.

China needs to invest 2 billion yuan (317 million U.S. dollars) on equipment and technologies to build such a nation-wide monitoring network, said Wen, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body.

"With sufficient technical and financial support, China is capable of developing its own advanced air monitoring equipment with intellectual property rights," Wen said.

(Source: Xinhua)