China officials have routinely emphasized economic growth at the expense of the environment. However, widespread air and water pollution, along with a series of large-scale industrial accidents, have prompted Beijing to question its development priorities.
The official Xinhua news agency on Monday quoted Zhou as saying that in some counties, only 30 percent of projects had been checked for pollution-control compliance before receiving construction licenses. He says even when plans do meet environmental standards, the required emission-control measures are often not implemented.
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