China threatens to shut polluting firms by year-end
© 2000 Reuters Limited
November 16, 2000
BEIJING - China is threatening to shut down up to 16,600 firms if they fail to meet environmental standards by the end of the year, a State Environmental Protection Administration official said yesterday.
But the official said the environmental body had little power to enforce the standards and local governments were responsible for halting production at companies which failed to comply.
The central government frequently has problems getting local governments to carry out policy decisions, especially when companies they own, and collect crucial taxes from, are the targets.
"Governments will close those firms not meeting standards after December 31 according to the law and ask them to upgrade their equipment," the environment official said.
"Once they reach the standards, they can open again."
In 1996, the State Council, or cabinet, decided to give 238,000 firms producing industrial pollution four years to clean up their acts, the official said.
By the end of September, 93 percent had meet the standards, which cover sulphur dioxide emissions and other air pollution such as smoke and dust, as well as various types of water pollution, he said.
Some 17,925 of the firms were classified as "serious polluters", responsible for 65 percent of China's air pollution, the official said.
"Most of these firms are involved in heavy industry in the western part of the country, such as the metallurgical, coal and chemical industries," he said.
"China's west has long been regarded as a heavy industry base and most of the firms were established during the 1950s and 1960s. Their equipment is old-fashioned."
China put the air pollution standards into law on September 1, giving the government more teeth to punish violators, the official said.