Northeast China's Jilin Province will give top priority to protecting the environment and establishing an ecologically-friendly economy over the next few years.
The government has decided to pour 24 billion yuan (about US$2.8 billion) in the coming five years to harness pollution and spur the development of the environmental protection industry.
Of this investment, 9.6 billion yuan (US$1.16 billion) will be invested in sewage treatment, garbage recycling, exhaust gas elimination, etc.
About 8.4 billion yuan (US$1.01 billion) will boost the conservation of soil and water, afforestation and rare animal protection.
The province has been well known as one of China's major heavy industry bases for several decades, since the country's first auto producer was established here. The company, now called the First Automobile Works Group. is the largest auto maker in China.
However, it now faces relatively severe environmental problems, including soil erosion, and water and air pollution due to the irrational use of resources and ignorance about environmental protection over the past few decades.
More efforts will be made to boost so-called "green businesses" such as tourism, pollution-free agriculture and traditional Chinese medicine.
(xinhua 06/02/2001)
