江蘇啓東叫停紙廠廢水排海工程
Chinese protesters scored another environmental victory at the weekend when an eastern city abandoned plans for an industrial waste-water pipeline in response to massive opposition, writes Kathrin Hille in Beijing.
中國抗議者週末取得又一個環保勝利。面對羣衆的大力反對，華東一個城市放棄了建設一條工業廢水管道的計劃。The government of Nantong, a city near Shanghai, said it was scrapping construction of a plant that would have discharged water from a paper factory in Qidong – a city on the mouth of the Yangtze river under Nantong's jurisdiction.
江蘇省南通市政府表示，將放棄建設一個設施，按照原計劃，該設施將用於排放來自啓東市一家造紙廠的廢水。啓東市位於長江口，隸屬於南通市。The decision came after thousands of Qidong residents took to the streets and occupied local government offices, voicing concerns that the planned facility, owned by a subsidiary of Oji Paper, a Japanese group, would pollute drinking water.
在此之前，數以千計的啓東市民走上街頭，甚至佔據當地政府部門的辦公室，這些市民表示，他們擔憂這一擬建設施將污染飲用水。該設施由日資集團王子製紙(Oji Paper)的一家子公司擁有。
They also feared damage to fishing in the nearby bay.
他們還擔心附近港灣的捕魚業遭殃。It is the third time in less than a year that Chinese authorities have bowed to protests over environmental issues.
這是不到一年來中國官方在環境問題上第三次屈服於抗議訴求。Earlier this month, plans to build a copper refinery in the town of Shifang, in the south-western province of Sichuan, were scrapped after demonstrations against potential air and water pollution.
本月早些時候，中國西南部的四川省什邡市放棄了建設一家銅冶煉廠的計劃，此前當地居民舉行示威，抗議新工廠可能造成的空氣和水污染問題。Last year, 12,000 residents in the north-eastern city of Dalian managed to stop plans for a coastal petrochemical plant due to pollution concerns.
去年，東北城市大連的1.2萬居民出於對污染的擔憂，成功阻止了一家濱海石化廠的建設計劃。The decisions reflect the ruling Communist party's pragmatic stance in dealing with public opinion. While rural residents often fail to persuade officials to address grievances over issues such as land grabs or environmental degradation, Beijing is increasingly paying attention to the demands of the better-educated and more media-savvy urban middle class.
這些決定反映出執政的共產黨在處理公衆輿論方面的務實立場。儘管農村居民往往無法說服官員們處理有關強佔土地或環境退化等問題的抱怨，但北京方面日益重視教育程度較高、更擅長利用媒體的城市中產階層的訴求。Like many similar protests, the Qidong demonstration turned violent. Protesters could be seen in pictures posted on social media overturning a car, beating a policeman and stripping the local party secretary to the waist before chasing him through the streets.
就像許多類似的抗議一樣，啓東市的示威一度也出現暴力行爲。從社交媒體貼出的照片看，抗議者推倒一輛汽車，毆打一名警察，還扒下當地黨委書記的上衣，然後沿街追他。Reuters news agency reported from Qidong that about 1,000 people marched on Saturday. Other observers on Sina Weibo, China's leading internet microblogging site, put the number of protesters as high as 100,000.
根據路透社(Reuters)發自啓東市的報道，上週六大約1000人舉行了遊行。其他觀察人士在中國領先的微博網站新浪微博(Sina Weibo)上表示，抗議人數多達10萬。A shop owner in Qidong said in a phone interview that thousands of riot police had been brought in to quell the unrest.
啓東市一名店主在電話採訪中表示，官方調來數以千計的防暴警察以平息這一羣體事件。"There are military lorries patrolling the streets," said the man, who asked not to be identified.
"軍用卡車正在街上巡邏，"這位要求匿名的男士表示。
