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Doesn't China have a resource concern as well? At the rate they gobble up materials I would think this would be an issue for them, did the documentary mention anything on that?
It depends on which resources. They have a ridiculous among of mining/ores that haven't been used, and are difficult to access. They have vasts forests, unirrigated arable land, etc. - so a lot of their country hasn't been raped yet, but mainly because it isn't economical for them to utilize those resources.
But they treat their air and water very poorly. Illegal industrial dumping into public waters is rampant, LEGAL dumping into public waters is generally allowed, stormwater runoff goes untreated, sanitary sewage systems are inadequate, they practice terraforming, damming, etc. with no regard to biology, et cetera..
I don't know as much about air pollution, but I assume it is also bad.
You think they'll sign any environmental treaties that so many people rail about the US not signing???
I don't think it matters if they do, since we can't enforce those regulations. I think China needs to acknowledge and address this problem themselves.
IMO, They'll figure it out one of a few ways:
a. Their cost of production will rise due to pollution
b. Their population will no longer tolerate it (what happened in the U.S.)
c. Pollution will affect their exports in the U.S., Europe, and Australia, like the "lead in toys" fiasco, the contaminated toothpaste we sent to Belize, contaminated aquaculture (tilapia, catfish) and agriculture (wheat germ), etc.
Apparently the rapid pace of construction, and the high degree of centralization in their development, is significantly contributing to their polution problem:
They have been working with the US EPA to determine some long term solutions:
Air and Climate Programs in China | Program Descriptions by Region | Air and Climate | International Affairs | USEPA (http://www.epa.gov/oia/airandclimate/byregion/chinaair.html - broken link)
Contrary to wishful thinking, the Chinese have become savvy. They know that eventually the world and even their own people will demand a cleaner operation from them. It is done out of their own best interests though and not ours.
Contrary to wishful thinking, the Chinese have become savvy. They know that eventually the world and even their own people will demand a cleaner operation from them. It is done out of their own best interests though and not ours.
Agreed, I'm not a China hater either. I think they have some issues they need to reconsider, and could take a smarter approach to some problem solving (and allow a bit more trust to the common man) but despite their very prominent flaws they are slowly moving in the right direction.
The Chinese have been looking out for themselves for over 6,000 years! They will keep doing so and are pragmatic enough to use whatever works. Fascism, as practiced in Italy and Germany after WW1, is a very efficient way to grow an economy. The only thing they truly fear are their own homegrown Warlords so the central government tries to stay all powerful. It may or may not succeed but the Chinese people will remain Chinese and may come to dominate the world. I think they are smart enough not to try because domination can get in the way of making China prosperous.
The Chinese have been looking out for themselves for over 6,000 years! They will keep doing so and are pragmatic enough to use whatever works. Fascism, as practiced in Italy and Germany after WW1, is a very efficient way to grow an economy. The only thing they truly fear are their own homegrown Warlords so the central government tries to stay all powerful. It may or may not succeed but the Chinese people will remain Chinese and may come to dominate the world. I think they are smart enough not to try because domination can get in the way of making China prosperous.
Greg
I think the Chinese play a long game over a thousand years whereas we in the west are month to month thinking.
IMO the recent military build up in China is a long term correction to their military unpreparedness in the last two centuries.
I don't see China having any ambitions toward World domination historically.
They actually tried in the 1200's but the 'Little Ice Age" forced them to cancel their huge expedition to the Indian and North Pacific Oceans in order to concentrate on domestic infrastructure like the Grand Canal. In the future I think they will concentrate on efficient industrialization and become a major player in the world economy. Unfortunately for the Chinese people, I doubt if Peking will ever give up political control. They have too much justified fear of internal revolution and military conflict.
If I were a young and starting my career over I would learn both Chinese languages as part of my environmental science studies and get a job assisting the Chinese with creating a fabulous [place to live. Yeah, I would study environmental science and engineering but I would add a business minor to the degree.[/font]
As their standard of living increases, shouldn't that lead to less fear of revolution? Think 50-100 years from now. By that time, there will have been regime change after regime change. My thinking is that Beijing will morph into a more likable crew of Communists.
After I graduated from Law School back in1983, I did in fact go to China to learn Mandarin. However, I lost focus.
The Chinese have been looking out for themselves for over 6,000 years! They will keep doing so and are pragmatic enough to use whatever works. Fascism, as practiced in Italy and Germany after WW1, is a very efficient way to grow an economy. The only thing they truly fear are their own homegrown Warlords so the central government tries to stay all powerful. It may or may not succeed but the Chinese people will remain Chinese and may come to dominate the world. I think they are smart enough not to try because domination can get in the way of making China prosperous.
Actually, I'm not sure where you get your Chinese history, but it doesn't jibe with what I studied. China actually has a history of growth spurts followed by rapid disintegration. They even have a term for their endless cycles of order and chaos, known as the "Mandate of Heaven." Yes, they have proven to be a continuously functioning society for thousands of years, but if they really were pragmatic and making rational decisions, they would have grown in a continuous trajectory and long ago come to dominate the world's politics, science, and commerce. And, if they were really that pragmatic, explain the Cultural Revolution to me.
As it stands, the average household income in China is still less than 1/40th of an American household, even after almost 30 years of extraordinary economic growth--and they are facing some major issues in the next 20 years that they show absolutely no signs of facing.
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