The government has had some success targeting primary pollutants, but analysts say it is just beginning to target secondary pollutant problems, including particulate matter that is harmful to human health.

WSJ: China's Pollution Fight Faces Resistance

"They're succeeding at some of the big but simpler problems and really just getting started on more complicated secondary pollutant problems, " said Chris Nielsen, another researcher on the project and executive director of Harvard's China Project, which focuses on the atmospheric environment.

WSJ: China's Pollution Fight Faces Resistance