Panasonic will pay its Japanese staff in China "pollution pay". This is because of China's poor air quality. No one knows who will get the extra money, or how much it is. Panasonic had no plans to give the payment to Chinese staff. Workers who work in other countries get extra pay for phone calls, restaurants or furniture. Panasonic is the first company to give extra money because of pollution. Other companies in China might now copy Panasonic.

Pollution is a big problem in China. The WHO said it was 15 times higher than healthy levels. China said it is fighting a "war on pollution". Air quality in China was below healthy levels in almost every major city last year. There are a few reasons why it has become so bad. China's economic success means there are thousands more factories. China uses coal for most of its energy. In addition, there are thousands more cars on China's roads.