(April 8, 2002) ‘China is now the workshop of the world, and while Westerners enjoy cheap commodities … we are dumping all the waste in our own backyard, our own rivers,’ said environmental consultant Ma Jun. ‘Consumers have a responsibility in this.’

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Beijing: China’s environmental woes spilt visibly over its borders as a toxic slick flowed into Russia in December, but exports of pollution are becoming as common as sales of cheap T-shirts for the economic powerhouse. The country’s leaders are only starting to grapple with the political fall-out at home after years of pursuing economic expansion at almost any price. Dirty or scarce water, choking air and toxic factory effluent are some of the common problems fouling China’s environment and its neighbours’. Yet the international impact of China’s problems have barely registered as cause for concern for Beijing’s leadership. It took days for China to notify Russia that an explosion at a petrochemical plant sent 100 tonnes of benzene compounds pouring down a tributary to the Amur. Smog carried over the Pacific to the west coast of the United States, acid rain in South Korea and Japan, and destruction of forests as far away as Africa. These are among other unwelcome exports that experts say might cloud China’s hopes of being seen as a responsible global power. “At the moment, China’s top leaders have not realised how important, in terms of international relations, environmental conflicts can be,” said Ma Zhong, vice-dean of the School of Environment and Natural Resources, at Renmin University.

Reuters, April 8, 2002