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Latest stories from China Dialogue 


18 Nov 09 visit Can the US match China’s efforts? Dialogue between the two countries has produced some positive examples of green collaboration, but Obama still needs to show leadership on climate. Hou Yanli explains how.US president Barack Obama’s first state visit to China and his joint...
18 Nov 09 visit Crucial cooperation on climate As Obama visits Asia, John Podesta, Andrew Light, Julian L Wong and Orville Schell present their proposal for US-China collaboration on carbon capture and sequestration.The United Nations climate-change summit in Copenhagen is less than a month away....
18 Nov 09 visit Obama’s China moment The US president can use his first China trip to find new ways for the two countries to jointly build a low-carbon economy, writes Joshua Wickerham, but only if he focuses on common opportunities.As US president Barack Obama visits China, he has the...
18 Nov 09 visit China debates the downturn Discussions about the path to economic recovery expose a rift between the advocates of “rebalancing” and those who argue job creation should override green concerns. Leo Horn-Phathanothai reports.Dreadful as their consequences are, economic...
06 Nov 09 visit “China needs time” On Thursday, Graciela Chichilnisky proposed that the carbon market is used to avoid a stand-off between the US and China at Copenhagen. Here, Simon Zadek responds.Graciela Chichilnisky’s proposal (see “Saving Kyoto”) offers food for...
04 Nov 09 visit Corporate values, green governance The failure of companies to report environmental pollution in China exposes challenges for governments in the developed and the developing world, writes Tang Hao.Eighteen multinational and Chinese companies, all of them listed in last year's Fortune...
30 Oct 09 visit Trafigura's lesson for China Chinese leaders will meet with African heads of state next month to discuss trade and investment. The recent conduct of Swiss-based commodity traders Trafigura, writes Salil Tripathi, presents a stern warning about due diligence.In 2005, traders at a...
28 Oct 09 visit Packaging: no gift to the earth Traditional festivals have lost their cultural significance and become excuses for giving presents that come with too much wrapping, writes Huo Weiya. Such excess is not good for the environment.Early this year, I attended a China-Europe civil society...
27 Oct 09 visit New order from ashes of crisis China, India and other developing countries will benefit from the economic turmoil at the expense of the US – and the World Bank is optimistic, writes Larry Elliott.The wrenching financial crisis of the past two years will provide the catalyst for a...
26 Oct 09 visit Outlook and obstacles for CCS (2) In the final segment of his two-part report, He Gang sets out his technical and policy recommendations for China's adoption of an important technology.Considering China’s circumstances and strategic requirements on the energy front, discussed in the...
23 Oct 09 visit Outlook and obstacles for CCS (1) China needs carbon capture and storage technology to decrease its emissions from coal power, but the transition will be costly and difficult. In the first section of a two-part report, He Gang surveys an energy dilemma.Carbon capture and storage (CCS), a...
21 Oct 09 visit Against tiger farming Ancient Chinese tradition and modern scientific thinking both respect the tiger’s role in protecting wild nature. Farming the big cat, writes poet Ruth Padel, ruins China's reputation abroad.One of China’s oldest traditions is its respect for...
15 Oct 09 visit A chance for Sino-US partnership Joint projects on low-carbon cities can help the United States and China face the climate crisis and the economic downturn, write Du Tingting and CS Kiang. [Produced in association with Rutgers Climate and Social Policy Initiative] As humanity...
13 Oct 09 visit Poisoned children test China Central planners have resolved to clean up the country’s heavy industries, but they don’t always get what they want, writes Patti Waldmeir. In the provinces, local officials often have another agenda.Xiao Wang is a toddler, trapped in the body...
08 Oct 09 visit China’s green maverick Zhang Yue, air-conditioning magnate and one of the country’s best-known businesspeople, wants to put the planet before profits. In fact, Zhang tells Huo Weiya, he is happy to put himself out of business.Zhang Yue was born in 1960 in Changsha, Hunan...
06 Oct 09 visit “China is on the right track” How has China’s low-carbon path developed – and what lies in the future? chinadialogue spoke to Wu Changhua, director for Greater China at the Climate Group.Wu Changhua is Greater China director at the Climate Group, leading their operations...
05 Oct 09 visit Catching the wind Wind power could provide all of China's electricity, says a new study, if the country raises its subsidy and improves its grid. Ben Block reports.Wind power alone could provide electricity for all of China if the country overhauls its rural grids and...
02 Oct 09 visit Slideshow: Times of crisis (1) The collapse of Lehman Brothers shook the world from Wall Street to Beijing. Maryann Bird introduces some images of China from a Reuters multimedia project charting 365 days of upheaval.The 10 photographs in the slideshow are Copyright 2009 Thomson...
30 Sep 09 visit River of discord Hydropower projects in China have created tensions along the Mekong. Rivers know no borders, writes Michael Richardson, but dams do.Back in 1986, when China began building the first of a series of dams on the Mekong River, hardly anyone in the downstream...
29 Sep 09 visit Water tensions in central Asia A regional crisis created mainly by disastrous Soviet policies will only be exacerbated by the challenges of climate change, a Kyrgyz water expert tells Isabel Hilton.At first glance, China's neighbour Kyrgyzstan, with more than 40,000 rivers and streams,...
28 Sep 09 visit Fighting pollution on the Pearl River A unique agreement in south China could have provided a model for cooperation between provinces, writes Reut Barak. But institutional issues have impeded joint action.China’s rapid economic growth has brought not only a rise in living standards, but...
24 Sep 09 visit Hu speaks — what next? How did the experts respond to Hu Jintao’s speech on climate change? Julian L Wong sees China sending a strong message. Isabel Hilton writes that obstacles remain on the road to Copenhagen.“China is sending a strong message” –...
23 Sep 09 visit Addressing the climate challenge China’s president, Hu Jintao, yesterday delivered a major speech on climate change at the United Nations General Assembly. Here, chinadialogue publishes the text in full.Mr secretary-general, dear colleagues. Global climate change has a profound...
17 Sep 09 visit Leader of the pack? China is ahead in the race towards a low-carbon economy, claims a new report. Li Taige takes another view, citing problems in the country’s renewable-energy sector.China is already a leading force in the low-carbon economy, says a new report [pdf]...
11 Sep 09 visit Sorting the rubbish in Beijing 在中国首都北京，市民和专家正在审议商讨各种垃圾处理的方式。霍伟亚就讨论中的方案进行了调查。After the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing’s strategy for dealing with waste disposal overtook transport and ai...
10 Sep 09 visit Understanding the energy challenge China needs low-carbon development to ensure its energy security. In this effort, writes Lin Boqiang, the country could become a model for other developing nations.[Produced in association with Rutgers Climate and Social Policy Initiative] China needs...
07 Sep 09 visit A national team for the climate How could China – and other developing nations – consolidate a response to the climate-change crisis? Qiu Dengke interviews Li Lailai, of the Stockholm Environment Institute.[Produced in association with Rutgers Climate and Social Policy...
28 Aug 09 visit Rethinking Sino-US relations Many Chinese commentators worry about the risks of the United States introducing carbon tariffs. Chu Zhaogen urges them to take a long-term view.United States energy secretary Steven Chu and commerce secretary Gary Locke visited China last month to...
27 Aug 09 visit Do we know change when we see it? An agreement between the US and China on climate change and clean energy may be more significant than its detractors initially supposed, write Banning Garrett and Jonathan Adams.Did the United States and China recently take a game-changing step on climate...
21 Aug 09 visit Biofuels: learning from Obama The US president’s directive on advanced biofuels – and its implementation by government departments – sends an important message to China’s energy planners, write Zhang Jinyuan and Xu Dingming.[Produced in association with Rutgers...
20 Aug 09 visit The dangers of boosting consumption China’s government and the domestic market are calling for greater spending. Economic growth may be maintained, writes Huo Weiya, but US-style living may mean we need another two Earths.To maintain an 8% economic-growth target through the current...
14 Aug 09 visit Removing chemicals from our food Recent studies show that food safety in China still needs improvement. Organic production is the answer, argues Jiang Gaoming. Here he explains how to make the shift.Environmental group Greenpeace recently tested vegetables purchased in supermarkets and...
07 Aug 09 visit “I openly call for emissions cuts” (2) In the second section of a two-part interview, Liu Jianqiang and Yi Shui talk to Hu Angang about how China’s climate-change policy is formed, and how it can change.[Produced in association with Rutgers Climate and Social Policy Initiative]...
06 Aug 09 visit “I openly call for emissions cuts” (1) He is one of the country’s best known economists, and a rare voice in calling on China to commit to reductions in greenhouse-gas pollution. Liu Jianqiang and Yi Shui talk to Hu Angang.[Produced in association with Rutgers Climate and Social Policy...
27 Jul 09 visit Designing a greener China Hu Jie is the landscape architect of the 680-hectare Olympic Forest Park in Beijing. In an interview with Jared Green, Hu explains the philosophy behind its design and discusses the importance of ecological ideas and Chinese tradition.[This interview was...
21 Jul 09 visit Challenging Africa (2) How can foreign agencies and governments, including China, really help Africa? In the second section of a two-part interview, Poppy Toland talks to Wangari Maathai.Poppy Toland: You mention that environmental sustainability was low on the list for the...
17 Jul 09 visit From Nairobi to Copenhagen African leaders have declared their commitment to address climate change, but they will need the help of key partners: the United States, Europe – and China, writes Godwin.A recent meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, represented an important attempt to forge...
10 Jul 09 visit China’s bag ban, one year later In an effort to reduce “white pollution”, the country restricted the sale, distribution and manufacture of flimsy plastic sacks. Is the effort working? chinadialogue joined the discussion in Beijing.China’s restrictions on the plastic...
09 Jul 09 visit China encounters factory farming The emergence of swine flu has raised fears about the potential public health impacts of industrial animal agriculture. Mia MacDonald asks if China can avoid the mistakes made by factoring farming nations in the west.“Swine Flu Fears Grow”...
03 Jul 09 visit Pathways to a low-carbon future China has a number of potential sustainable development paths, but none of them will be easy to achieve. This is the conclusion of a recent report by Wang Tao and Jim Watson, which develops a set of low-carbon scenarios to 2100.China's continuous economic...
29 Jun 09 visit “Still waters run deep” Li Xiaolin, CEO of China Power, tells Isabel Hilton why she attended the World Business Summit on Climate Change, and why she wants to encourage a new generation of businesspeople.Li Xiaolin is the CEO of China Power International Development Limited and...
25 Jun 09 visit China’s creeping sands Growing sands are transforming China’s arable land, with nearly 20% of the country’s land area classified as desert. A slideshow by photographer Sean Gallagher documents the issue, which affects the lives of an estimated 400 million...
23 Jun 09 visit Turning grey to green A recent project helped Chinese city mayors learn valuable lessons in sustainable development, reports Sun Xiaohua.After every lecture, Chang Yongguan was the first person to ask a question. And he used the short breaks between lectures to talk with...
19 Jun 09 visit Tough challenges for China (2) Despite the economic outlook, China should not abandon its commitments to save energy and reduce emissions, argues Pan Jiahua, in the second half of a two-part article.The toughest targets in China’s eleventh Five-Year Plan relate to energy-saving...
18 Jun 09 visit Tough challenges for China (1) China’s struggle to save energy and reduce emissions is shaped by the fluctuations of the world economy, writes Pan Jiahua, in the first section of a two-part article.The financial crisis has spread from the United States to the world. China, as a...
16 Jun 09 visit Accounting for China’s carbon Developing a system to quantify energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions will help China meets its ambitious targets, write Lucia Green-Weiskel and Robyn Camp. Plus -- Isabel Hilton discusses a proposal for a new standard for carbon-disclosure.Since the...
12 Jun 09 visit A green response to the crisis China can respond to the economic downturn by tailoring its recovery measures towards low-carbon solutions. Jing Xuecheng explains how.The global economic crisis means that low-carbon development is no longer just about combatting climate change: it is...
11 Jun 09 visit Towards a new energy economy How would China fare if “carbon tariffs” were introduced in the rich world? Dou Guanyi and Jiang Gaoming argue such tariffs would be unfair, but government action in the Chinese countryside could plant the seeds of green renewal.Steven Chu,...
04 Jun 09 visit Taking wildlife off the menu As some rare animal species approach extinction, conservation groups in southern China are working to change the region’s traditional appetite for exotic fauna. Jonathan Watts reports.Stewed turtle cures cancer, crocodile meat relieves asthma,...
28 May 09 visit The future of carbon trading Carbon prices are rising slowly after a recent fall in the markets. But questions remain about the role of carbon trading in rich countries – and in developing countries like China, writes Yu Jie.The price of carbon seems to be rising slowly,...

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