Highly polluting Shenzen factories to be moved on

Good news for Hong Kong and the besieged Environmental Protection Department, as the Shenzhen local government has announced that it will close highly-polluting and energy-guzzling factories over the next five years.

It said it would close down and shift 10,000 small-sized polluters, as well as companies that consume large amounts of energy or have evident safety risks over the next five years.

Shenzhen's statement came in conjunction with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology saying it would also shut small-sized polluters, reported Xinhua.

Shenzhen, China's southern manufacturing powerhouse has been blamed for high levels of pollution drifting into Hong Kong.

However it may just be a case of moving the problem down the coast. Shenzhen's mayor Xu Qin said 4,000 factories will be transferred to an industrial park in the neighboring city of Shanwei and 5,500 will be shifted to other cities in Guangdong province.