China, Japan, S Korea to share data on sandstorms

BEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) China, Japan and South Korea will upgrade monitoring and share data about sand and dust storms that whip across their countries every spring, Chinese state media said today.

But Chinese newspapers made no mention of any specifics agreed to by the three countries' environment ministers, nor of any new funds pledged to fight the problem, the official China Daily said.

In recent years, after severe dust storms whipped Beijing and other cities, China has taken steps to try to halt the spreading deserts, especially in its north and west where the Gobi Desert has displaced herders and farmers.

Earlier this year sand storms covered homes, streets and cars in brown dust and left the skies a murky yellow across much of northern China.

Desertification of the country's west and Mongolian steppes has made spring sand storms worse in recent years, reaching as far away as South Korea and Japan and turning rain and snow yellow.

Government officials have said that efforts to control dust storms will assure that the 2008 Beijing Olympics are not bothered, but they admit they will never totally find a solution because too much of the country -- about a third -- is covered by desert.

Reuters LL GC0919