Chinese Firms Expect Ongoing Environmental Crackdown in New Year

Companies in China will face increased pressure in the coming year to control water, air, and soil pollution to comply with President Xi Jinping’s goal to create an “ecological civilization.”

The anti-pollution initiative comes as China clamps down on the waste it will import from other countries and begins to launch what in time could be the world’s largest carbon emissions trading program.

“Industries are receiving clear signals from the government that economic growth is being measurably tempered for the sake of environmental sustainability and conservation goals,” Paul Davies, a partner in the London office of Latham & Watkins ...