The PX Protest Drama in China

The city of Maoming, in the southern province of Guangdong, was rocked by protests on March 30. Residents gathered on the street to oppose the building of a chemical plant run by a subsidiary of the local government and the state-run oil giant China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. (Sinopec). Protestors and police clashed.

The plant will produce paraxylene (PX), a chemical used to make a range of products, including plastic bottles and polyester clothing. The chemical is also suspected of being carcinogenic.