China shut down a solar panel factory on Monday after hundreds of angry residents staged days of violent protests over pollution, the second such incident in as many months. A large red sign at the entrance to the factory in the eastern city of Haining announced the temporary closure, which came a month after authorities agreed to relocate a chemical plant following protests over pollution fears.
The swift decision to shut the solar panel plant underscores the intensity of official concern over mounting public anger about pollution in China, where an emphasis on economic growth has led to widespread environmental degradation. “Everyone is angry beyond belief. This couldn’t happen in Shanghai,” one man living next to the plant told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We have been complaining about the pollution for half a year, but it was only when we protested that this got any attention,” said another local resident. The protesters broke into the factory, operated by the US-listed company Jinko Solar, in Zhejiang province, ransacking offices and overturning vehicles before being forced back by police in a three-day protest from Thursday. State media reports said demonstrators were demanding an explanation for the deaths of large numbers of fish in a nearby river. On Monday, Haining’s city government said tests had shown the factory was emitting excessive levels of fluoride, which can be toxic in high doses, as it announced the temporary shut-down.
“(We) ordered the company to halt production and overhaul the production procedures that involve emission of waste gas and waste water,” it said in a statement. The city govt said it had imposed a fine of 470,000 yuan ($73,550) on Jinko Solar, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and has more than 10,000 employees working in plants in eastern China. Jinko apologised for what it said had been a leak. Waste containing fluoride had been stored outside the factory, it said, but polluted a nearby river after heavy rains in late August.
“(The incident) has triggered panic among local people, caused many problems to the local government and inconvenienced the company’s employees, and we express our sincere apologies,” it said.
