China closing 2000 factories

This is definitely a wake-up call for anyone who thinks China has moved beyond communism in any substantial way:

In Crackdown on Energy Use, China to Shut 2,000 Factories

HONG KONG — Earlier this summer, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China promised to use an “iron hand” to improve his country’s energy efficiency, and a growing number of businesses are now discovering that it feels like a fist.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology quietly published a list late Sunday of 2,087 steel mills, cement works and other energy-intensive factories required to close by Sept. 30.

How many people will be out of a job thanks to this?

Looks like a new version of Mao's "Cultural Revolution", only this time the goal is a "culture" of "energy efficiency".