North China's Hebei province, the largest steel production area in the country, will cut 60 million metric tons of steel capacity by the end of 2017, according to the environmental production authorities of the local government.

A discussion of the environmental protection plan and air quality improvement plan were held in the province to target the overproduction problem of its steel industry.

The plan said the province will cut another 26 million tons of capacity by 2020 in addition to the 60 million tons' reduction by 2017.

In the last year, Hebei province's steel output was 10.48 million tons, accounting for about half of the country's crude steel output.

By the end of the first quarter, the province's crude steel output still accounted for around 27.46 percent of the country's total.