In view of the protests staged last week, China Government has left it to the public to decide to allow China National Petrochemical Corp. (CNPC) to establish a new chemical plant in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan Province in south-west China, Li Wenrong, Mayor of the provincial capital of Kunming and other CNPC officials said. The Government would stop the project if the public opinion is negative, the Mayor said while addressing a joint press conference organized by the Kunming municipal government, Yuntianhua Group and CNPC. China's biggest oil and gas producer CNPC is eyeing to construct an oil refinery in Anning city.
According to media reports, the company would each year produce around 500,000 tons of paraxylene (PX), a carcinogenic petrochemical used in manufacturing raw materials for making fabrics and polyester film. Learning about this, last week, hundreds of people staged protests in Kunming, claiming that PX production would prove detrimental for the environment. However, General Manager of CNPC's Yunnan subsidiary, Hu Jingkle informed that one of the country's leading economic planners has already approved the feasibility study for the refinery in January this year. Also, he negated inclusion of PX production in the project noting that the project does not have any PX facilities, and hence there is no scope for undertaking PX production. Hu Jun, General Manager of the Yuntianhua Group, said the company would fully adhere to the public sentiment, while deciding on what products to produce at the new plant, he added.
