Governing environmental conflicts in China: Lessons learned from the case of the Liulitun waste incineration power plant in Beijing

Abstract

China’s growing number of environmental conflicts represents a significant challenge to local governments, who are charged with responding to, and resolving disputes. However, little is known about how these environmental conflicts are resolved. This article reports an in-depth case study concerning the construction of a waste incineration power plant in Liulitun, Beijing, which was strongly opposed by local residents. We argue that the Chinese state is responsive to the demands of citizens and continuously adjusts its strategies in resolving social conflicts. We first identify six different government strategies: go-alone, suppression, tension reduction, giving in, nonassisted negotiation, and mediation. Then, we distinguish six conditions that explain the application of government strategies: the nature of protests, the position of higher level governments, the stage of the project, the involvement of national mass media, the involvement of activists, and the occurrence of events. We find that local governments in Beijing changed their strategies from go-alone, to tension reduction, to giving in, and the six conditions identified are useful in explaining these changes.