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Twelve Chinese businesses out of 30 accused of pollution this year have had loans blocked or withdrawn by the state authorities. The companies, which were considered to have flouted China’s environmental laws, include a brewery and a power plant.
The action is the first such intervention by the Chinese authorities, which are under increasing scrutiny because of their lax record on environmental protection. Cities in China have the reputation of being among the most polluted in the world.
The authorities threatened in the summer to get tough with persistent polluters and now intend to increase financial penalties on offenders and force companies to pay more towards the cost of emissions. At present the maximum fine is 100,000 yuan ($13,500, £6,530).
The companies whose loans have been blocked or withdrawn have not been named, but the official China Youth Daily newspaper has reported that one is a brewery in the east of the country. It says the business has been refused a $1.3million (£630,000) loan for continual breaches of waste water discharge rules.
The newspaper quoted an official from the State Environmental Protection Administration as saying: ‘The purpose of this move is to force enterprises to pay the price for environmental violations.’ The administration has already suspended approval of construction projects in eight provinces and autonomous regions because of environmental concerns.
The action is the first such intervention by the Chinese authorities, which are under increasing scrutiny because of their lax record on environmental protection. Cities in China have the reputation of being among the most polluted in the world.
The authorities threatened in the summer to get tough with persistent polluters and now intend to increase financial penalties on offenders and force companies to pay more towards the cost of emissions. At present the maximum fine is 100,000 yuan ($13,500, £6,530).
The companies whose loans have been blocked or withdrawn have not been named, but the official China Youth Daily newspaper has reported that one is a brewery in the east of the country. It says the business has been refused a $1.3million (£630,000) loan for continual breaches of waste water discharge rules.
The newspaper quoted an official from the State Environmental Protection Administration as saying: ‘The purpose of this move is to force enterprises to pay the price for environmental violations.’ The administration has already suspended approval of construction projects in eight provinces and autonomous regions because of environmental concerns.
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