South China Morning Post
May 24, 1999

Beijing has yet to decide whether to build controversial dams on the Nu River, and large-scale changes are expected to be made to the hydroelectric project in Yunnan province, according to SEPA deputy director Zhu Guangyao.

[Article excerpt] Beijing has yet to decide whether to build controversial dams on the Nu River, and large-scale changes are expected to be made to the hydroelectric project in Yunnan province, according to State Environmental Protection Administration deputy director Zhu Guangyao. … Mr Zhu said yesterday: "The process of reviewing the environmental impact assessment is still under way, and we are going to make substantial changes to the original development proposal." … Mr Zhu’s remarks served as a formal denial of earlier media reports that the central government had allowed construction to resume after an official environmental impact assessment supported a scaled-down version of the project. Wang Yongchen, of the Beijing-based Green Earth Volunteers, said mainland NGOs should be encouraged by Mr Zhu’s words because it showed their influence on government decision-making through active participation. "Our sole aim in opposing the Nu River project was to call for an open and fair decision-making process, which led to a positive response in the remarks by Premier Wen and Mr Zhu," she said.