Environmental protection is increasingly part of the daily work of business journalists in a country which is alternately praised as the world's biggest factory or criticized as its biggest smoke stack. Labels aside, the challenge is how the world's factory can keep expanding by reducing, rather than increasing, its smoke stacks.

China Daily interviewed several journalists in key Chinese-language business media for their views on environmental protection and economic development:

Yang Lei, director of the investigative reporting group, the 21st Century Business Herald:

In recent years, China's environmental policy enforcement has been changed from traditional administrative orders and punishment to the current mixture of both administrative and economic measures.

It is a very difficult transformation for China.

However, facts prove that introduction of a market instrument is very effective in curbing pollution. In this way, environmental issues can be factored in to the economy.

Because business reports focus more on policy impacts on industries or the economy, as well as whether or not the policy is in line with economic development rules, environmental protection and energy consumption can serve as the best barometer. It is related to almost all industries and can finally test the truth or error in policies, he says.

Besides the environmental policy influences on industrial and economic development, our newspaper is also concerned about conflicts between policing by the top environmental watchdog and local governmental protection of short-term economic interests.

Zhang Chen, journalist, the Economic Observer:

With the country raising its target of reducing energy intensity by 20 percent and major pollutant emissions by 10 percent from 2006 to 2010, energy and the environment have become increasingly related to the economy.

Before, environmental reports from my newspaper focused on pollution caused by accidents. Stories on environmental protection are now required to be related more to the transformation of China's industrial distribution and local economic development.

In Shanxi Province, for example, the country's major coal producing area has stopped many projects by heavy polluters.

A story about Xiaoyi county in Shanxi Province, where the coking industry supports 70 percent the economy in the county. It was before an example of a developing local economy trying to reach the top 100 counties nationwide.

But in the current green drive, the coking industry was ordered to stop developing any new heavily polluting projects.

Wang Yichao, news editor for environment and technology, Caijing magazine:

Energy saving and environmental protection are important in China's transformation of its economic development model.

The green drive comes not just from the international community, but from the country's own demand. Any studies on China's economy missing the part about China's energy saving and environmental protection will not be complete.

Caijing magazine focuses on in-depth reporting on energy conservation and environmental protection, mainly three areas.

First is the adjustment of energy prices in China. As current prices of energy and resources stay below costs, energy consumers feel little incentive to save while using it.

Our magazine also urges the country to pay more attention to the impact from small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The country treats industries and leading companies as the main elements in saving energy and for environmental protection. But small and medium-sized enterprises can also make big contribution, but they lack enough policy and financial support.

Third, Caijing follows technological innovation, policy amendments and improvement in implementation.

(China Daily October 15, 2007)