Mixed Chinese reactions towards approved PX plant in Zhangzhou
On January 12, 2009, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a Paraxylene (PX) plant in Zhangzhou had been approved. News of the announcement spread quickly through Chinese and international media circles, bringing the hot topic of Paraxylene manufacturing back into the public domain after a hiatus of 18 months.
The term “PX” gained a heroic meaning in the Chinese news in 2007 when citizens of Xiamen mounted a grassroots campaign against the plans for the construction of a PX plant, which citizens believed would expose them to health risks. The activists charged that the process lacked proper public participation during the EIA process and called for greater public involvement in such decisions. A year and a half after the Xiamen PX incident, memories of protestors filling the streets, citizens’ voicing their passionate demands, CPCCC members supporting the cause, and the quick spread of the cause through text messaging and Internet communication remain fresh in the minds of Chinese residents.
While the grassroots effort succeeded in halting the plant’s construction, the future of the plant remained unclear. Rumors abounded that the plant would move to the Leizhou compound in Zhangzhou, that the Tenglong Aromatic PX Co. had sued CPPCC member Zhao Yufen for his support of the movement, and that the government would have to bear the economic loss of the project’s relocation. But with the announcement of the 4 trillion RMB financial stimulus package, details of the 153 MEP-approved projects began to emerge. The new factory is an $18 billion RMB ($2 billion) project that will be about 80 km from Zhangzhou’s city center. The original plans called for it to be located about 16 km from Xiamen.
While officials insist that the project is fully safe and will provide a huge boost to the local economy, opinion articles in the Chinese press reveal mixed views on the proposed plant. The South China Daily carried an opinion piece asking, “who can ensure that no pollution will result from the PX project?” Many commentaries seem to state a common point: sufficient and systematic public participation is an essential part of the EIA process that could have averted the Xiamen incident and is needed to guarantee a smooth future for the Zhangzhou plant. Eastern China Morning News offered one of the frankest recommendations: “When the cost of satisfying the public is decreased, the value and efficiency of a public decision is increased greatly. Therefore, when the PX project left Xiamen and moved to Zhangzhou, the relevant departments should be courageous enough to hold public hearings and disclose information, providing sufficient opportunities for public participation.”
Media coverage and commentaries (Chinese):
The Beijing News, “Xiamen PX will be moved to Zhangzhou”
CBN, “Xiamen PX moved to Zhangzhou, EIA approved in principle”
China Youth Daily, “Zhangzhou PX EIA approval is not good timing”
The Beijing News, “Public Participation shall be enacted in law”
Xinhua, “Xiamen PX moved to Zhangzhou, EIA approved in principle, investment is 13.78 billion RMB”
Xiaoxiang Morning, “PX project: Who can ensure no pollution will happen?”
Qianlong News Network, “Zhangzhou PX project should make clear what fruit it will bear”
Eastern China Morning News, “Zhangzhou PX still needs to eliminate public concern and panic“
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