I’m in Beijing right now and it’s nowhere as bad as you describe (which is how it was ten years ago). Electric cars and scooters are everywhere. China really seems to be trying to get their environmental shit together, it’s just a big project that takes time
It depends heavily on the weather, and on the season. No wind -> worse smog, more coal heating (in the winter) -> also worse smog. It does seem to be improving though:
Also, have you been to Beijing? The smog is so dense that sometimes you don't see 50m ahead ...
The only thing they're doing is trying to build cheaper electric vehicles.