Air pollution in China comes from multiple sources, including coal consumption, construction and industrial dust, and vehicle exhaust. Coal consumption in particular directly determines the emissions of three major air pollutants: dust, sulfur dioxides (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOX). The rapidly increasing number of civilian vehicles is expected to bring NOx emission to a much higher level. Contrary to expectations, however, existing data shows that the concentrations of major pollutants [particulate matter-10 (PM10), SO2, and nitrogen dioxides (NO2)] in several large Chinese cities have declined during the past decades, though they still exceed the national standards of ambient air quality. Archived data from China does not fully support that the concentration of pollutants directly depends on their emissions, but this is likely due to inaccurate measurement of pollutants. Examination of cancer registry data shows that cancer burden related to air pollution is on the rise in China and will likely increase further, but there is a lack of data to accurately predict the burden. Past experience from other countries has sounded alarm of the link between air pollution and cancer. The quantitative association requires dedicated research and as well as establishment of needed monitoring infrastructures and cancer registries. The air pollution-cancer link is a serious public health issue that needs urgent investigation.