The western region of China must limit the development of energy intensive and heavy pollution projects, said Chinese Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan during an inspection tour in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

"The western region must pay adequate attention to environmental protection while boosting economy," said Zeng.

"The western region should integrate economic, social and ecological benefits together at the same time and work hard to find a new industrialization road that echoes the concrete situation in western China," he said.

He said cities in western China need to get away from the "break it, then fix it" mentality. Instead, businesses need to work to prevent pollution.

He noted that the introduction of market-based operation could be an efficient solution to waste water and other pollution problems.

But at the same time, the region needs to develop a way to ensure those who do pollute are responsible for the clean up, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2004)