China Move Reflects Sensitivity on Pollution - Wall Street Journal

By CARLOS TEJADA

For the second time in a month, an industrial project in China has been canceled after protests over pollution. The WSJ's Deborah Kan speaks to reporter Brian Spegele about why officials may be caving into public demand.

BEIJINGâ€"The cancellation over the weekend of a second Chinese industrial project in a month following fierce environmental protests demonstrates the government's growing sensitivity to China's pollution problems.

Officials in the coastal community of Qidong in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu said Saturday that they would stop construction of a pipeline intended to dump wastewater from a Japanese-owned paper mill into the sea. Worries about pollution sparked protests early Saturday that the state-run Xinhua news agency said drew thousands.

Protesters Rally Against Pipeline Project in China

Reuters

Local residents occupy the local government building during a protest against an industrial waste pipeline under construction in Qidong on Saturday.

Photos posted online by residents showed crowds swarming around government offices and filling nearby streets, as well as at least one overturned car.

Later Saturday, Qidong officials said on their website that the government of Nantongâ€"the city-level government that oversees Qidongâ€"had decided to stop the project, without releasing additional details. Nantong Mayor Zhang Guohua appeared on TV to announce the news.

Calls to Qidong city officials weren't picked up on Saturday. The plant is owned by Japan's Oji Paper Co., according to government officials. The company didn't immediately respond to calls for comment.

Locals worried that the water would pollute the nearby Yangtze River or the nearby sea, which is a prime fishing area. Oji Paper said in a statement that reports that there are carcinogenic substances in the water are totally "groundless." The company also said that its purification treatment clears China's national standards and that the company handles water treatment with a sense of responsibility.

Reuters

A hazy day in Beijing's central business district on Saturday.

The successful public outcry follows a similar situation earlier this month in Shifang, a small city in China's southwestern Sichuan province. Officials there on July 3 scrapped a planned metals plant following protests that led to violent clashes with police. Photos from those clashes showing bloodied protesters sparked a national outcry on the Chinese Internet.

China is grappling with extensive pollution problems as a consequence of its rapid economic growth. The issue has risen in importance in recent years and is sometimes cited as one reason that many wealthy Chinese consider moving abroad, according to surveys.

In a nod to those growing concerns, Chinese central government officials have embarked on a number of measures to reduce China's dependence on fossil fuels and to tighten environmental regulations.

Still, officials also appear to worry about the prospects of such protests spreading. The term "Qidong" appeared to be blocked on Saturday in China's popular Twitter-like Sina Weibo microblogging service, which serves as the closest thing to a national forum on domestic issues in a country that keeps a tight rein on political discourse.

Qidong's police authority warned residents on its microblog account on Saturday not to further gather or "spread rumors"â€"a term often used by the authorities in China to curb discussion of sensitive topics.

The Qidong pipeline is a long-simmering local issue, with online discussion stretching back to at least 2010. On Thursday, a notice on the community's website said local officials would take local concerns into consideration but warned residents against illegal gatherings.

â€"Yang Jie in Shanghai and Daisuke Wakabayashi in Tokyo contributed to this article.

Write to Carlos Tejada at carlos.tejada@wsj.com

A version of this article appeared July 30, 2012, on page A8 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: China Move Reflects New Pollution Response.