Mexico fines Chinese trade centre for unauthorized work
by Mark Stevenson, The Associated Press
The Attorney General for Environmental Protection said the fine was for building roads through wetlands and affecting coastal ecosystems without authorization
MEXICO CITY—Mexican environmental authorities have levied a $555,000 fine against a project to build a massive trade centre south of Cancun to showcase Chinese products.
The Attorney General for Environmental Protection said the fine was for building roads through wetlands and affecting coastal ecosystems without authorization.
The office said the project, known as Dragon Mart, did not wait for authorization of environmental impact statements for the work.
It was unclear whether work on the project just south of Cancun could be closed, because the case is still before the courts.
Dragon Mart, located just south of the resort of Cancun, describes itself as an “international product exhibition centre … with a special emphasis on China.” The company said in a statement to The Associated Press that it was studying the sanction but did not believe that the project had caused any environmental damage.
The project has been criticized by environmentalists because its sprawling size—about 142 hectares of residential, warehouse and exhibition space—and because of concerns about deforestation and the massive quantities of wastewater it could create.
Environmentalists said the fines were a positive step, but called for the project to be halted or scaled down.
