Mass protests against a proposed aluminium plant erupted in a depressed Chinese oil town near the Siberian border, highlighting the increasing willingness of Chinese citizens to mobilise in the streets against pollution.
Opposition to the proposed Rmb46bn ($6.7bn) facility in Daqing coalesced at the Northeast Petroleum University, where experts feared the plant would pollute the city’s air and water supply. Daqing, in Heilongjiang province, is dominated by China National Petroleum Corp, China’s largest oil producer, and home to China’s first major oilfield.
“Our first goal is environmental protection,” said Xi, one of the organisers of the protest, which was estimated to be 1,000-strong. “We don’t want this kind of construction in our backyard.”