¶ … Sustainable Growth in China
Environmental Protection is Key to Sustainable Growth in China
The phenomenal economic growth in China for the last several decades has paved the way for the uplifting of the social and financial conditions of the citizens of the country. The lion's share of this financial windfall was due to the rise of various manufacturing and production facilities across the country. These development sites have provided products and even services to various clients across the globe and ensured continued economic growth of China. But with the rapid pace of economic development and building of more industrial infrastructures and zones to keep up with the world demands, the environment is suffering a major setback. Air and water pollution is rampant, the natural resources needed to provide raw materials are being depleted, and the rapid urbanization in various economic zones are taking its toll on the environment due to the requirements of feeding a continuously growing population. Consequently, it is important for China to develop policies that will promote environmental protection while at the same time aligned with the economic growth of the country. This may be a difficult endeavor since the environment and the economy is often at loggerheads against each other. But it is not impossible though considering the headways made in the country and the various innovations China has already achieved. Thus. environmental protection policies aligned with continued economic development...
The rest was history as they say and one of China's thrust when it opened its doors is the provision of goods and products that are globally competitive in terms of pricing and manufacturing. This has been made possible via establishments of economic zones providing production and manufacturing facilities. The downside to all these is the toll it takes on the environment; thus, the nation needs to develop environmental protection policies that will ensure the economic growth and at the same time guarantee environmental sustainability. There are several ways China could do this and the government has taken the lead with the formulation and implementation of various plans that will achieve sustainable development not only in the economic milieu but environmental ones as well. The sustainable development plans have always "emphasized the necessity of reforms in socio-economic legislation, environmental conservation and even politics, meaning the government would have to position itself as not merely the driver of the Chinese economy, but as a provider of tangible public services and defender of rights amongst the various social groups. (Wong, 2010)" From these various plans (the present is now on its 12th release on a five-year cycle), the Chinese…
