China shut down more than 3,000 businesses last year for pollution offences, state media reported May 7. Sources of potable water, industrial parks and construction sites were the main targets in a campaign covering 720,000 companies, according to the State Environmental Protection Administration.
The government looked into 28,000 cases in detail, the China Daily said. A total of 3,176 enterprises were shut down.
Officials suspended 163 projects, many of which were highly polluting, such as steel and power plants.
Despite government efforts to curb pollution, China last year failed to reach its targets of reducing energy use by 4% per unit of gross domestic product, and cutting emissions by 2%.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2007
