China's environment chief resigned on Friday following a two-week crisis over a toxic spill that polluted a northeast China river, forced the shutdown of tap water supplies to millions of Chinese and raised alarm bells in Russia. Xie Zhenhua, chief of the State Environmental Protection Agency since 1993, resigned and was replaced by the former forestry director Zhou Shengxian, Xinhua news agency said, citing a statement by the country's cabinet. State television said Xie had resigned due the administration's failure to address the crisis. The State Council, or cabinet, and Communist Party had approved it. The administration "as the main body for environmental protection did not pay enough attention and fell short of the evaluation about the possibly severe results out of the incident. Thus, it holds the responsibility for the losses," China Central Television said.
