The Chinese government will step up its risk assessments for future industrial projects, a senior official has said.
In an admission yesterday that public anger over environmental disasters was a threat to stability, minister for environmental protection Zhou Shengxian said recent unrest over industrial developments had been triggered by local governments starting projects without approval, or adequate assessment of their environmental impact.
Insufficient local monitoring and a lack of a strong legal background had also contributed to the protests. “What we need to do is to earnestly learn these lessons,” said Mr Zhou at the 18th Communist Party congress, which has convened in Beijing to appoint a new generation of leaders.
Last September Mr Zhou’s department began requiring more information on new projects be disclosed to the public and he hoped this would form “a signpost” for future projects.
Pollution
Pollution is a leading cause of unrest in China and is the single biggest source of complaint among young people.
The air in most cities is foul and rivers are poisoned.
Often, environmental protests are carried out not by angry farmers, but by middle-class Chinese worried about the danger to their families that environmental degradation can cause.
Mr Zhou acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue but said it was natural for such incidents to occur as living standards rise.
“In recent years we have seen several incidents. How do we put this issue in perspective? I think it is natural that when a society is developed to a certain level, some phenomena will naturally arise. For China we are now in a sensitive period in terms of environmental issues,” he said.
