Environment minister Chen Jining said China had achieved pollution reduction targets set five years ago with six months to spare as northeastern China was blanketed in smog and Beijing raised its air pollution alert to “orange” for the first time in 13 months as the concentration of carcinogenic PM2.5 particles hit 300 on a scale in which 50 is considered dangerous to human health, The Financial Times reported. The next five-year plan, which is being drafted amid heavy lobbying from state-owned companies hit by slowing economic growth, could also include targets for volatile organic compounds–organic chemicals that easily dissipate in the air, according to state news organization Xinhua.