China has ordered the closure of a solar panel plant in the east of the country after hundreds of local residents staged violent protests over pollution, authorities said on Monday.
The protesters broke into the factory in Zhejiang province, ransacking offices and overturning vehicles before being forced back by police in a three-day protest that began on Thursday, according to state media reports.
The closure of the plant, owned by the US-listed company Jinko Solar, comes weeks after authorities in the north-eastern city of Dalian shut down a chemical factory after some 12,000 residents took to the streets over pollution fears.
It demonstrates official concern over the growing public anger about pollution in China, where an emphasis on economic growth over the past three decades has led to widespread environmental degradation.
Photo: AP