17 dead, 400 hurt in China port blasts

China has a dismal industrial safety record as some factory and warehouse owners evade regulations to save money and pay off corrupt officials to look the other way.

In July, 15 people were killed and more than a dozen injured when an illegal fireworks warehouse exploded in northern Hebei province.

And at least 71 were killed in an explosion at a car parts factory in Kunshan, near Shanghai, in August last year.

Tianjin, which lies about 140 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Beijing, is one of China’s biggest cities, with a population of nearly 15 million people according to 2013 figures.

A manufacturing center and major port for northern China, it is closely linked to Beijing, with a high-speed train line cutting the travel time between them to only 30 minutes.

Like Shanghai, several countries were granted trading “concessions” there during the 19th and early 20th centuries – settlements which were administered by a foreign power – starting with Britain and France in 1860.

Tianjin’s city center retains a legacy of historic colonial architecture, along with more recent skyscrapers.

It is one of only four cities in China — along with Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing – to have the status of a province.