I think that at least now there is no possibility to have clear blue sky and clean water, because business people are colluding tightly with officials, and there is a strong connection between the people in power and those with wealth.
In 2006, China turned from a net iron and steel importer into net exporter, by exporting 34.73 million tons of raw steel.
Mostly encouraged by the higher price growth in international market, China increases its iron and steel output.
Production of nonferrous metals and cement in China are also on a big rise.
All these are the key industries which China requires to increase their energy efficiency. But the introduction of measures such as lifting the drawback of exports by high-energy-consuming industries hasn't yet yielded effects.
Zibo is just a typical example among many other cities in China to show this situation.
Huge economic gains are the major impetus for investors to pour huge money into building iron and steel companies.
It is worth doing investigation to find out how the permission is given to build these iron and steel companies, and which kind of roles the local governments have played in this regard.
In China, those giant petrol chemical industries are located in city, and desperately to construct themselves into tourism city. For instance, certain provincial capital in North-East region; there is also certain tourism city desperately to involve in petrol chemical industry, for example the city in South-East region, where the famous Chinese author Lu Xun had taught. The reputation of Zibo oscillates in between steel industry and tourism city, the winner is usually the steel industry which has been successfully developed. As quoted from Qian Zhongshu in one of his publication, those in the surrounded city wish to dash out, whereas those are staying outside wish to dash in. It’s sounds appropriate by using such description for these cities.
In this regime of restricted voices, it is Chinadialogue who's been showing us new developments all the time. Go, Dongting！Keep up the good momentum!
“why can these firms keep on polluting despite failing in their environmental responsibilities?” Has environmental responsibilities, has the reason to continue to pollute? I seriously agree with comments 2: the local government, colluding with business, does not attend to the common people----this also is the corruption. However the primary aim of local government is not to benefit local residents, but to pursue their achievements.