A white paper entitled "Environmental Protection in China (1996-2005)" issued by the Information Office of the State Council, says thatover 2,600 enterprises were closed down for having caused serious environmental pollution and violated industrial policies in 2005.The white paper also says during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period (1996-2000), the State closed down 84,000 small enterprises that had caused both serious waste and pollution.
In addition the paper claims eight industries that consumed large amounts of resources and caused serious environmental pollution, (iron and steel, cement, electrolytic aluminium, iron alloy, calcium carbide, coking, saponin and chromic salt), were rectified, and the construction of over 1,900 projects was either stopped or postponed.
