Local authorities in Maoming, South China's Guangdong Province late on Monday said the city would not go ahead with a controversial paraxylene (PX) project if the majority of residents object to it, following two days of protests staged by thousands of people.

The protest in Maoming is the latest in a wave of public objection over PX projects nationwide, as people's environmental awareness and distrust over local authority decisions has grown in recent years.

On Monday afternoon, protesters rallied outside the government building in Maoming, after their planned site for a sit-in protest was cordoned off by police.

The protest was peaceful at the beginning. But a local resident surnamed Li told the Global Times that at about 6 pm, police dispersed protesters with tear gas after some protesters hurled water bottles and stones at them. This could not be independently verified as of press time.

The previous day, a protest on the lawn in front of the government building ended with a clash between protesters and police, who chanted slogans and held posters, although the government said there were no casualties.

"They [police] used pepper spray. Some irrational youngsters did throw water bottles and eggs at police, but they were armed with shields and batons. We had planned to demonstrate at the highway exit, but failed because of the clash," said a protester, who did not reveal his name.

Several protesters reached by the Global Times claimed that a number of people were badly injured during the clash on Sunday.

"We don't want a PX project in our hometown, after suffering from pollution from local chemical plants. Besides, we knew nothing about the project beforehand. The authorities should have consulted us," a protester surnamed Zhang told the Global Times.

Several protesters told the Global Times that college students in Maoming had been asked to keep away from the "outlaws" since Sunday.

In a letter to the city's residents released early on Monday, the government said Sunday's demonstration without permission has violated the law and has badly affected social order.

Late Monday night, an unnamed spokesperson for the city government said in a statement that the PX project is still far from being approved, and the authorities would solicit public opinions before making a decision.

"If the majority of people are against it, the city government won't make a decision contrary to public opinion," said the spokesperson.

Shanghai-based portal guancha.cn said the project was approved in 2012 with an annual production capacity expected at 600,000 tons.

According to the city's five-year plan released in 2011, it aims to reach a production capacity of 1 million tons of PX by 2015.

Plants involving PX production have faced similar protests in China since 2007, and those in the cities of Xiamen, Dalian, and Ningbo have been closed after demonstrations. 

"With better life quality, people naturally care more about health and environment nowadays. Like any petrochemical plants, PX projects will affect residents' health and local environment, therefore an environmental impact assessment is a must," said Ma Zhaoli, a senior laboratory technician at Qingdao University.

Ma suggested many assessments are presently led by local governments, which might deliberately overlook environmental impacts in pursuit of GDP, therefore a qualified third-party institute is needed to conduct the assessment.

Ma added that PX is strategically important for a nation as a yardstick to judge the nation's petrochemical production ability and technology. It is also a major raw material for polyester products.

China suffers from a PX supply shortage, as the self-sufficiency rate was only 47 percent last year and the supply gap in 2014 will reach 9.5 million tons, according to a recent report from a research institute under the China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation.