Halted PX plan ‘secretly resumed’

A paraxylene (PX) project in Dalian, Liaoning Province, secretly resumed production shortly after being halted when local residents protested in August 2011, while another controversial PX project in Fujian Province will go into production next year.

The Fujia Chemical Plant PX project in Dalian suspended production in August last year due to protests by locals, according to previous media reports. But the project actually resumed production "nearly a year ago" in accordance with instructions from the local government, the Beijing News quoted a Fujia employee as saying.

"PX is a taboo subject inside the plant and staff are banned from leaking anything about the resumption of production," he was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Paraxylene is a carcinogenic petrochemical used to create the raw material used in making polyester film and fabrics, which can cause eye, nose or throat irritation.

The Global Times reported in late December 2011 that the Dalian government had circulated an internal memo stating that the plant had been allowed to resume production, but no confirmation was made from the plant.

In August last year, public fears over chemical leaks were triggered in Dalian after large waves caused by a tropical storm breached a dike near the plant. Six days later over 10,000 locals took to the streets and authorities in Dalian pledged on the same day to shut down and relocate the plant.

In another case in late 2007, protests by local residents in Xiamen, Fujian Province, forced a local PX project to be relocated to Zhangpu county in the province. A publicity officer with the county confirmed that the project will go into production in early 2013 at the latest, according to the Beijing News.

A similar case occurred in late October this year in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, when plans to build a PX factory in Zhenhai district were met with protests by local villagers. Ningbo government officials promptly announced that no PX project would be allowed in the city.

A publicity officer with the plant told the Global Times on Monday that they were adhering to the decision of the local government.

Ma Jun, director with the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times that the key to avoiding the kind of protests that were seen in Dalian and Ningbo lies in better communication with local residents.

"The government should inform the public of the risks of such chemical projects and emergency plans as well as measures in the event of accidents," Ma told the Global Times, adding that both the residents near such projects and environmental protection organizations should be involved in assessing any possible impact.

Following the protest in Xiamen, the Zhangpu county government handed out PX booklets and held lectures and talks with residents near the relocated PX project, and 39 officials were sent to speak with the locals, which eventually led to the project being relocated without any opposition.

"The Internet now provides an effective and way to reach the general public," Ma said, urging local governments to use the Internet to better communicate with the public.