Pollution protests force Chinese U-turn A Chinese city has backed down over plans to expand a petrochemical plant after a week-long protest by residents worried about the environmental impact. The demonstrations in the wealthy coastal port of Ningbo, in Zhejiang province, which turned violent at times, are the latest in a series of protests against polluting factories in China over the past year. Coming only two weeks before Beijing embarks on a once-in-a-decade leadership transition, the latest protest highlights how the government is facing a new challenge as its citizens become more conscious of environmental concerns and more willing to voice their complaints. Thousands of people marched in central Ningbo, a city of 3m people near Shanghai, according to reports. The city government said in a statement on Sunday evening that it had "resolutely" decided against carrying out the expansion. The Associated Press news agency reported that an official who tried to read the statement over a loudspeaker to protesters was drowned out by calls for the mayor to step down. Television images showed that the vast majority of marchers were peaceful, but there were some scuffles with police. The city's public security bureau said in a statement the protesters had attacked police and overturned patrol cars. In July, the south-western city of Shifang said it would cancel plans to build a copper refinery after environmentalists took to the streets. In 2011, a solar plant near Shanghai and a petrochemical plant in the north-eastern city of Dalian were both closed after demonstrations. The protests are an indication of how Chinese are growing increasingly tired of pollution problems and how social media have made it much easier for them to organise their opposition. Local media said the expansion of the Ningbo plant, which is operated by a subsidiary of Sinopec, a big state-owned oil company, was a central part of a national five-year plan to develop China's oil refining capacity and to ensure energy security. The latest demonstrations took place despite the government's pledge that the factory would have "the most stringent discharge standards."