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Sanya Strives to Become China's First Freon-Free City
Hotels, government organizations, as well as bus drivers in Sanya, a well-known tourist destination on the southern tip of this Chinese tropical island of Hainan, have been busy replacing freon in refrigeration and using a new freezing agent.
That is just part of a city-wide campaign launched to eliminate freon traditionally used as a freezing agent for refrigeration in air conditioners and other freezing equipment since the beginning of the year.
The campaign will go through 2002, said a local official.
Sanya, which falls under the jurisdiction of Hainan Province, is one of the country's best cities for tourism development and a role model for horticulture and ecological balance. It is also considered one of the cities that has the best air quality in the world.
"Eliminating freon is an important step to maintain a fine ecological environment and steady growth in Sanya's tourism industry," said the official.
Among punitive measures for violations, many shops engaged in freon business in the city are shut down, and freezing equipment and freezing agents that go against the freon-free standard will be confiscated, the official warned.
The local administrative departments will not approve annual check-up documents of drivers who continue to drive vehicles with freon as the freezing agent.
Developers for new or extension projects that will require the use of freon as a cooling agent can get neither construction approval nor credit support from commercial banks, said the official.
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