Ministry: Pollution fight is not pushing prices up

Blaming environmental measures for increases 'only rattles market'

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has dismissed claims that China's tough measures to rein in pollution, including environmental inspections and factory closures, have dampened industrial production and pushed up prices of industrial products.

Scheaffler, a German company that makes bearings and precision components for the auto industry, estimated last week that the closure of its Shanghai supplier for pollution violations had cost the industry about 300 billion yuan ($45 billion).