Chinese authorities have ordered a chemical plant to shut down immediately after thousands of protesters marched through the streets of the nearby port city of Dalian, demanding the factory be relocated, Chinese media said.
The plant produces paraxylene, a toxic material used as a raw material for the production of plastics.
The demonstration in Dalian - one of the biggest in a series of recent rallies against potential polluters in China - was sparked by the news last week that a protective dike around the Fujia factory, in the Jinzhou industrial complex, had been breached by rain and high waves as a typhoon approached.
Local authorities opened talks with the demonstrators, promising to resolve the issue of the plant's relocation. The protesters demanded a clear timetable for moving the plant, with some refusing to leave until a plan was in place, the state-run news agency said.
In a rare concession the local Communist party chief, Tang Jun, and Dalian's mayor, Li Wancai, promised to move the project out of the city, Xinhua reported.
