Chinese protest petrochemical plan

Protesters in the northeast Chinese city of Longkou are opposing a plan to build a huge petrochemical complex in the city. Photos uploaded on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, showed a group of at least several hundred displaying banners opposing the project. Some of the banners targeted p-xylene, a polyester intermediate that is controversial in China. Apparently surprised by the backlash, the government of Longkou issued a statement assuring the public that planning for the project is still in its early stages. Featuring 2.2 million metric tons per year of ethylene capacity, the massive complex would cover a land area of 45 km².