中國首次考慮"民意" 取消核燃料加工廠項目(1)

Plans for a 'showcase' nuclear fuel processing and equipment manufacturing center in southern China were canceled a day after protesters filled the streets to oppose the project, marking a new victory for the country's growing not-in-my-backyard movement.

在中國南方建設一個“標誌性”核燃料加工和設備生產中心的計劃在羣衆上街抗議的第二天被叫停，這是中國風起雲涌的“鄰避”(not-in-my-backyard)運動取得的新勝利。

In a terse statement posted to its website Saturday, the government of Jiangmen city in southern China's Guangdong province said it was no longer considering the 30 billion yuan ($4.8 billion), 229-hectare industrial park that had been planned for the satellite town of Heshan.

中國廣東省江門市政府上週六在網站上發佈了一份簡短聲明說，不再考慮這個投資人民幣300億元（48億美元）、總用地面積229公頃的核燃料工業園項目。項目原計劃落址江門衛星城鶴山市。

'The government of Heshan has decided to respect the will of the people,' the statement said, adding that the project 'will not be allowed to apply for implementation.'

聲明說，鶴山市政府決定尊重民意，還說對該項目不予申請立項。

The statement came roughly 24 hours after a crowd of residents, estimated by authorities at between 800 and 1,000, marched near the Jiangmen municipal government compound to protest the planned industrial park. Images posted to Chinese social media sites Friday showed protesters carrying banners with antinuclear slogans and wearing face masks decorated with the Chinese character for 'nuclear' crossed out.

聲明發布大約24小時前，有關部門估測約有800到1,000名羣衆在江門市政府大院附近遊行，抗議這個擬建的工業園區。中國社交媒體網站上週五發布的圖片顯示，抗議者打出反核標語，戴着寫有漢字“核”的口罩，其中“核”字被劃上了叉。

Plans for the park were developed by China National Nuclear Corp. and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group, and were part of China's push to expand nuclear power among ever-growing demand for more and cleaner sources of Energy. An earlier statement from the Jiangmen government described a one-stop, world-class nuclear fuel processing facility that would stand as an 'Asian showcase for nuclear fuel processing and related equipment manufacturing.'

有關該工業園區的規劃由中國核工業集團公司(China National Nuclear Corp.，簡稱：中核集團)和中國廣東核電集團(China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group)共同擬定，是中國實現能源多樣化、滿足日益增加的清潔能源需求而發展核電的努力之一。江門市政府早前的一份聲明曾這樣描述這個一站式、世界一流的核燃料處理設施，說它將發展成爲具有標誌性的亞洲核燃料加工及裝備製造中心。

An official in the Jiangmen propaganda department reached by phone Saturday confirmed the government's decision to scrap the plans.

記者上週六通過電話聯繫到江門市委宣傳部的一位官員證實，江門市政府決定取消該項目。

'After we began soliciting public opinion widely on July 4th, we received many responses expressing concern about this project, so we decided to cancel it,' said the official, who refused to provide a name. He added: 'We canceled the project because we respect public opinion, not because we think the project is not safe.'

這位拒絕給出姓名的官員說，該項目自7月4日普遍徵求羣衆意見以來，由於接到的反對意見較多，所以政府決定取消立項。他還說，政府取消立項是因爲尊重民意，並非認爲項目不安全。

Calls to China National Nuclear Corp. rang unanswered Saturday.

上週六打給中核集團的電話無人接聽。

The cancellation of the Heshan project comes two months after similar protests forced authorities in the southwestern city of Kunming to reconsider plans for a petrochemical facility and a year after residents in Sichuan province extracted promises from local officials that they would end plans for a $1.64 billion metals processing plant. Protests against major industrial projects in Liaoning and Jiangsu provinces, as well as in Shanghai, have had similar effects in recent years.

鶴山這個核項目被叫停兩個月前，西南城市昆明有關部門迫於類似抗議壓力，不得不重新考慮某石化項目計劃。一年前，四川省羣衆的強烈反對也使得當地官員承諾，將終止16.4億美元的金屬加工廠計劃。遼寧、江蘇和上海反對大型工業項目的抗議活動近幾年也取得了類似效果。

Saturday's announcement marks the first time a not-in-my-backyard protest has shut a nuclear project, potentially opening up a new front in a battle that has so far been waged chiefly around petrochemical facilities.

上週六的那份聲明標誌着“鄰避”抗議首次叫停了核項目，這可能會爲到目前爲止主要圍繞石化項目發起的抗爭開闢新戰線。

Nimby─or 'not in my backyard'─activism in China has grown in tandem with the country's middle class, which increasingly finds itself willing to sacrifice economic growth in favor of environmental well-being. In a survey published in May by Shanghai's Jiao Tong University, more than three-quarters of respondents said environmental protection should come before economic development, and a similar number said they would be willing to petition against polluting industries set up in their cities.

在中國，“鄰避”（或稱“不要建在我家後院”）運動與中產階級一同發展起來，中國的中產階級逐漸意識到自己願意以經濟增長爲代價來支持環保。在上海交通大學5月份公佈的一項調查中，超過四分之三的受訪民衆認爲環境保護應先於經濟發展。佔類似比重的受訪民衆還表示，若他們居住的城市擬建污染設施，他們願意參與請願活動。

The government's willingness to shut such a high-profile project so quickly dovetails with the demands of a new 'mass line' campaign being pushed by Communist Party leaders that aims to put the concerns of regular people at the center of policy-making. Yet in a reflection of the cynicism that campaign is meant to counter, many appeared skeptical that the project would be truly shut down.

江門市政府這麼快就決定叫停這個備受關注的項目，這與中共領導人推行的新“羣衆路線”要求相符，這個新要求旨在將羣衆關心的事擺在決策的中心位置。然而由於擔心政府出爾反爾，許多人似乎懷疑這個項目是否會真的被叫停。

Such doubts were especially evident on Chinese social media sites, where many users celebrated and questioned Saturday's announcement in roughly equal numbers.

這種懷疑在中國社交媒體網站上顯得尤其突出，對上週六江門市的決定表示歡迎和提出質疑的用戶數量基本各佔一半。

'I hope this isn't just a delaying tactic. Maybe the government has realized the power of the masses,' wrote one Sina Weibo user.

一位新浪微博用戶寫道：希望這不只是一個拖延戰略，或許政府已經意識到羣衆的力量。

'I don't dare believe this' declared another.

另一位用戶說：不敢相信這是真的。

Analysts say Nimby protests in China are motivated by a lack of transparency as much as by actual environmental threats, which in some cases are relatively manageable. A number of protests have erupted when residents have learned of potentially hazardous projects only as construction is about to get under way, though in Jiangmen authorities said they notified the public well in advance of the project's planned start date, according to state media.

分析師們說，政府決策不透明和實際的環境威脅在同等程度上推動了中國的“鄰避”抗議活動，在一些情況下實際的環境威脅是相對可控的。許多抗議活動中的居民是在項目即將開工時才聽說這些有潛在危險的項目，但據國有媒體報道，江門市有關部門說，在該項目計劃開工時間之前很早就通知了公衆。

The industrial park, the first planned for nuclear fuel production in southeast China, was intended to serve nuclear power plants in Guangdong and neighboring Fujian province, according to the official Xinhua news agency. It was projected to have a uranium enrichment capacity of 1,000 metric tons by 2020.

據新華社報道，江門鶴山市擬建的這一項目是中國東南地區首個核燃料園區，所生產的核燃料將供應廣東省和鄰近的福建省的核電站使用。該項目計劃到2020年實現每年鈾濃縮能力1,000噸。

Immediately following Friday's protests, authorities in Jiangmen said they planned to extend the public comment period by another 10 days and invite members of the public to tour other nuclear facilities so they could better understand what was involved. The propaganda official reached Saturday didn't explain why the city changed its mind.

在上週五的抗議活動過後，江門市政府隨即表示，計劃將社會意見徵求時間延長10天，並邀請羣衆參觀其他核設施，以便增加公衆對項目的瞭解。但之後爲何又叫停這一項目，上述宣傳部官員沒有給出理由。

If the decision holds, it could set a problematic precedent in a country that has committed to a massive expansion of nuclear power, even after the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011. China has 17 nuclear power reactors in operation, 28 being built and more nearing the start of construction, according to figures from the World Nuclear Association.

即便在2011年日本福島核事故之後，中國仍做出了大規模擴建核能項目的承諾。如果江門市的決定得到落實，可能會開創一個對這一計劃不利的先例。世界核協會(World Nuclear Association)的數據顯示，中國目前運行的核反應堆有17個，在建的有28個，另外還有更多即將開建的項目。

A number of experts, including some environmentalists, say China has little choice but to develop nuclear power, which is more efficient and much cleaner than coal. China currently uses coal to generate roughly 80% of its electricity, according to the International Energy Agency, while only around 2% comes from nuclear.

包括環保人士在內的一些專家指出，由於核燃料比煤炭更加高效和清潔，發展核能是中國必須要做的事。根據國際能源署(International Energy Agency)的數據，中國燃煤發電量仍佔到總髮電量的80%左右，而核能發電量僅佔2%左右。