- Officials defend plan for chemical plant, noting it is only in preliminary stages
- Environmental impact assessment has yet to occur
- Subsidiary of state-owned Sinopec is developing the refinery
An eastern Chinese city on Thursday defended a planned chemical plant after hundreds of residents demonstrated against the project, the latest in a series of environmental protests in China.
Some 200 residents of Ningbo city living near the future site of the 55.9 billion yuan (US$8.9 billion) project blocked traffic on Monday before dispersing, the local government and state media said.
Residents are concerned about the potential impact on health from the plant, which will refine oil and produce ethylene, as well as the eviction of thousands to make way for it, media reports said.
In response, officials from Ningbo's Zhenhai district, where the plant will be located, pledged to listen to citizens but warned they would punish people for upsetting social stability.
"The integrated refining project is still in the preliminary stage," the Zhenhai government said in a statement posted on its website Thursday, adding it had yet to carry out an environmental impact assessment.
It said the government would "fully listen and absorb the opinions and suggestions of the masses about the project," which is being developed by a subsidiary of state-owned chemical giant Sinopec (IW 1000/322).
