China: Will ensure stimulus protects environment

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — China said Friday it will strictly monitor the government's economic stimulus package for projects that cause pollution, addressing worries that officials would ignore the environment in an effort to maintain China's high economic growth rates.

The stimulus will not damage the environment, Ministry of Environmental Protection Vice Minister Zhang Lijun told a news conference.

China's 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus package was unveiled last November to boost domestic demand during the global financial crisis.

Zhang said only projects concerning infrastructure and improving public welfare will get approval for fast-track environmental assessments — meaning everything else will be subject to a more rigorous assessment.



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[David__77]

1. They have to do so.

Because China's leadership is absolutely committed to first of all maintaining high economic growth, and actually have much better understanding of economics than almost any leaders in the world, they realize that environmental degradation related to production have reached the point that it is impeding growth. The Soviet/East German practice was to really make environmental questions secondary in favor of heavy industrialization - "these other questions can be dealt with later," so they reasoned. But the consequences were terrible: Chernobyl was just one dramatic example of the results. Chinese leaders realize that "balanced growth" means keeping pace with environmental protection while maintaining growth. If you have to sacrifice 1-2% GDP growth for the sake of a healthier workforce, it is worth it in the long run.