On December 6, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued a file entitled ‘Guidance catalogue (2010) of backward facilities and products to be eliminated'. In the file, backward facilities and products which entail serious levels of pollution, energy waste and unsafe conditions are listed, covering steel, non-ferrous metals, chemical, construction, machinery, textile, pharmaceutical and light industries.
The MIIT stressed that the listed backward facilities and products will have to be eliminated in due time.
According to the file, companies with backward capacities which are not eliminated in due time will have sewage discharge permits cancelled, banks will not provide them with credit support, local governments will not approve new projects, land resource supervision departments will not issue land permits, environmental protection departments will not approve output capacity expansion projects, and production licenses will not be awarded.