Residents of an eastern Chinese city who have been protesting over a new chemical plant have reacted warily to news that the project would be halted, with some continuing to demonstrate.Authorities in Ningbo city said late on Sunday that work on the 55.9bn-yuan ($8.9bn) oil refining and petrochemical complex would be called off after thousands of locals clashed with police in a week-long protest.The demonstrations and apparent victory of local residents is the latest example of environmental activism arising from public anger over pollution wrought by decades of rapid development.Outside the Ningbo city government offices on Monday, police sought to disperse a crowd of people still massing outside, though the gathering was peaceful, an AFP news agency journalist, who was briefly detained by police, reported.Despite the government promise to halt the new plant by Chinese petrochemicals giant Sinopec, some Ningbo residents said they feared the city could later revive the project.“Unfortunately, it is perhaps just a stalling tactic ... the government felt pressure and was eager to wind this matter up, so there’s no victory for us,” Sha Shi Di Sao Zi said on a microblog.
