Trade surplus making others mad? Environmental meltdown lurking on the not-too-distant horizon? Beijing announces a stone for both birds. From Bloomberg (via the International Herald Tribune):
Companies found ignoring waste-discharge limits face a ban from international trade for as long as three years to discourage exporters from cutting costs at the expense of the environment, according to a statement Friday from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the State Environmental Protection Administration.
The government is struggling to reduce the effect of its expanding economy on the environment and to combat charges that its exports are kept inexpensive by lax environmental and labor standards. China said this month that the gap between exports and imports jumped 56 percent in September to $23.9 billion. [Full Text]
According to an XFN report, the export ban may last up to three years.
