China to shut polluting factories in Beijing

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology said it will ask small-sized polluters, as well as companies that consume large amounts of energy or have evident safety risks, to shut down or move out of the city. Beijing will also set up small-loan lending firms, as well as township and residential community banks, to support small and medium-sized enterprises, it said.

Shenzhen, a southern economic powerhouse that borders Hong Kong, plans to shut down or shift 10,000 similar low-cost factories over the next five years.

The shutdown will give the local government 7.5 million square metres of land to develop into high-end industry, state run Xinhua quoted Science, Industry, Trade and Information Technology Commission as saying. Shenzhen mayor Xu Qin said 4,000 factories will be transferred to an industrial park in the neighbouring city of Shanwei and 5,500 will be shifted to other cities in Guangdong province.

Durban meet

The plans were announced ahead of the 10-day Durban climate conference where China along with India and other developing countries geared up for a possible showdown with developed countries over the continuing of the Kyoto Protocol which had set a binding targets for developed nations.

China also released a report claiming that it reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 billion tonnes between 2006 and 2010, the biggest decrease by any country in the period.