Giti Tire Group is planning to relocate its passenger and truck tire plant in Hefei, Anhui Province, in alignment with a "greener Yangtze River economic belt" initiative.
The Hefei plant, opened by Singapore-headquartered Giti in 1993, produces car, light truck and medium truck tires. Capacity is listed as 23 million units annually.
According to a notice dated Dec. 29 on the provincial government's website, Giti is pushing forward the relocation plan to improve its environmental impact.
Earlier, local newspaper Hefei Evening News said the plant's odor emission had been causing "grievances" among nearby residents.
Giti has spent more than $3 million since 2017 to address the odor emission problem at the plant. The company also has been running at low utilization rates of 40 percent for truck and bus tires and 20 percent for passenger car tires, the government notice said.
The greener Yangtze River economic belt initiative was launched by China's central government in 2016.
