China issues polluting products directory

BEIJING -- The Ministry of Environmental Protection on Friday issued a directory of polluting and anti-pollution products and behaviors in a bid to curb production, use and exports of polluting goods and raise the public's environmental awareness.

The directory, updated annually, is aimed at strengthening enterprises' sense of environmental responsibility and optimizing the country's economic structure, according to a ministry statement.

It features 596 products with large pollution emissions and environmental risks, 68 polluting behaviors, 64 environmentally friendly technologies and 28 pieces of environmental protection equipment.

It is China's latest effort in environmental protection and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as countries have met in Doha to discuss how to combat global warming over the past two weeks. On Wednesday, the ministry also promised to cut the intensity of PM2.5, fine particulate matter 2.5 microns or less in diameter, in China's air by at least 5 percent by 2015 in 117 cities.

The ministry proposed axing export rebates in the cases of 53 of the polluting products featured in the directory that currently enjoy the rebates, and prohibiting the processing of 64 polluting products listed.

It has sent the directory to 13 economic departments, including the National Development and Reform Commission, which is the country's top economic planner, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce and the People's Bank of China.

The directory will reflect certain products' impact on the environment after thoroughly and scientifically analyzing products, techniques and manufacturing equipment, said the statement.

Differentiated policies will be imposed on implicated enterprises to increase their operation cost, in order to enhance corporate awareness in environmental protection, it added.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection also suggested policymakers adopt differentiated economic and market regulation policies to curb production, consumption and export of polluting goods, encourage enterprises to use environmentally friendly technology, gradually abandon polluting practices, and increase investment in environmental protection devices.