Chongqing will shut down at least 50 hazardous chemicals enterprises in the next three years according to a local government website. The municipality has established nine red lines for the industry and any hazardous chemical enterprise found transgressing one would be shut down. Currently, there are 250 hazardous chemicals enterprises in Chongqing according to the principal of Chongqing Safety Supervision Bureau, and at least 20 per cent of them are set to be closed by 2011.

On a more positive note, Hewlett Packard will begin operations of its Chongqing PC manufacturing base at the end of 2009, reported Chongqing Economic Times citing the municipal vice director of economy and IT, Mu Huaping. The base will have an annual production capacity of 4m units, said Mr Mu. Previous reports said HP had signed a memorandum of understanding with Chongqing municipality to build a PC manufacturing plant with an annual output of 5m-10m units, to generate an estimated Rmb30bn-50bn a year.