Tianjin says it won't allow steel or cement plants, to curb pollution
The announcement, reported by Xinhua yesterday, echoed statements by neighbouring Hebei province and Beijing, and is in line with last year's central government plan to restrict new manufacturing in key industrial centres.
The government of Tianjin has said it will not approve any new steel, cement or non-ferrous metals plants in a bid to fight pollution.
The central government has vowed to reverse the damage done to its environment by decades of untrammelled economic growth, and has identified the region of Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin as one of the key targets of a programme to curb big industries like steel, thermal power and cement, all major sources of smog.
"I believe this is an economic strategy to cut down on overcapacity, and it will not lead to more steel plants being built elsewhere, so it will contribute to reducing emissions, especially in the hotspot areas," said Chu Yang, an analyst at China Policy, a Beijing-based consultancy.
The nation's leaders have struggled to meet its environmental goals, with economic growth long at the top of its political agenda. But they have now vowed to impose their will on local governments and make cleaning up the environment the number one priority.
Hebei province consumed about 280 million tonnes of coal last year and is under pressure to cut 40 million tonnes by 2017. The capital, Beijing, aims to slash consumption by 13 million tonnes, to just 10 million tonnes, over the same period. Tianjin used 47 million tonnes last year, and aims to cut 10 million tonnes by 2017.