Beijing, factories closed to clean the sky before the National People’s Congress

The closure order came after secret and night inspections of polluting factories. In Lanfang (Hebei) electricity also cut. A cosmetic operation under the cameras of the world in these two weeks.

 

Beijing (AsiaNews / RFA) - The authorities in the North issued the order to close several polluting factories and cut their electricity in an attempt to have a clear sky in the capital. In a few days delegates will gather in Beijing for the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the members of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the so-called parliament.

A few days ago the government released a list of 18 cities in the north of the country -  Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei region – with a high pollution rate, as also appears from surveys and measurements that took place in secret and during nocturnal hours.

The Ministry for Environmental Protection has warned that heavy pollution will continue at least until tomorrow, a few days before the opening of CPPCC (March 3) and PNA (March 5).

The Hebei provincial government has ordered the closure of steel plants, pharmaceutical factories and polluting industries. According to RFA, in Lanfang (Hebei), the Government Office for the Environment has even cut off electricity to a factory.

The problem of air pollution is considered the worst in the country. The particulate matter in the air is so diffused that in the North - and Beijing - the elderly and for children are often advised not to leave the house. Dense smog can even stop flights at airports.

According to the environmental activist Wu Lihong, Jiangsu, "zeal" of these days is explained by the fact that China wants to "look good" in front of the world and present a blue sky to the cameras that are to follow the CPPCC and the NPC. The fact that they have even cut the electricity supply means that at higher levels it is known that there is often collusion between factories and local governments. Thanks to bribes many local authorities willingly close an eye to pollution.

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