China used cloud seeding to control rain and pollution in the capital ahead of a major political event in July, according to scientists at Tsinghua University, writes scmp.com.

They said the government launched the large-scale operation - lacing clouds with chemicals to bring on rainfall - over suburban Beijing and some neighbouring areas hours before the Communist Party marked its centenary on July 1.

In a research paper, they estimated the artificial rain that was created reduced the level of the air pollutant PM2.5 by more than two-thirds, and improved air quality from “moderate” to “good” under the World Health Organization standards.