(May 19, 2011) Amid power shortages and potential catastrophe, China admits to failings in the Three Gorges Dam. Probe International Fellow Dai Qing responds from Beijing.
Beijing off the deep end
(May 6, 2011) Beijing really is trying to turn its water dilemma around. This Circle of Blue – Reporting the Global Water Crisis spotlight looks at what action the city’s municipal government is taking to reverse the capital’s water crunch but finds, in spite of acting with speed and authority, current measures are not fast or strong enough. Zhang Junfeng, a Beijing-based engineer and environmental activist, who has been researching Beijing’s water crisis for years, tells Circle of Blue the government still doesn’t clearly recognize the true extent of its problem and seems to think that as long as the country’s GDP is growing, the capital “can just buy the water” it needs. Not realizing that without water, hoped-for growth will falter.
Dam on Brahmaputra won’t affect India: China
(April 29, 2011) China on Friday said its proposed dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet is not a “very big one” to cause concern in India and Bangladesh, claiming that it would not lead to any major change in the quantum of the water flow to the countries downstream.
Tri-Tech Holding to Showcase High-Tech Emergency Water and Water Monitoring Technology at Beijing International Disaster Reduction and Emergency Technology & Equipment Expo
(April 29, 2011) Tri-Tech Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIT), a premier Chinese company that provides leading turn-key solutions in China for water resources, water and wastewater treatment, industrial safety and the pollution control markets, announced today that the company will attend the 2nd Beijing International Disaster Reduction and Emergency Technology & Equipment Expo at the China World Trade Center in Beijing from May 8 to May 10, 2011. The theme of this year’s expo is to “promote industrial development and contingencies for disaster prevention and relief.”
China’s dams threaten livelihoods
(April 26, 2011) The damming of every major river flowing from the Tibetan plateau will trigger natural disasters, degrade fragile ecologies and divert vital water supplies.
Water treatment companies stand to gain from Chinese water pollution
(April 21, 2011) Water treatment companies look to cash in on billions of dollars invested by the Chinese government in providing clean water, though investors are being warned that the lack of transparency in the companies makes them risky investments.
Rush to Build Hydropower Poses Risks
(April 19, 2011) Experts warn of the dangers posed by China’s rush to build dams in seismically active areas.
Ai Weiwei: The Sunflower Revolutionary
(April 14, 2011) Three decades after China’s “opening,” the country’s oppressive style of leadership continues. Fearing a public uprising, the government has begun silencing critical elements – the high profile artist Ai Weiwei detained on a trumped up charge in early April has not been heard from since. Independent thinkers, such as Probe International Fellow and outspoken journalist Dai Qing, may be targeted next. Renowned Chinese fiction author Ma Jian writes about the significance of the Ai Weiwei arrest.
China pledges to build more hydropower by 2015
(April 13, 2011) According to official Chinese media, China will be begin construction of hydro projects totaling 120 megawatts within the next five years.
Zeng Jinyan: Salt panic highlights a crisis of confidence in China
(April 12, 2011) In this first in a series, Voices From China, Chinese blogger Zeng Jinyan writes that the panicked response of Chinese citizens to the Japanese nuclear crisis betrays a fundamental distrust of the Chinese Government and official media.
China makes a mockery of the rule of law
(June 30, 2011) The Chinese Government may have released artist Ai Weiwei from his nearly three months in detention, but the terms of his bail gag him.
‘Beautician’ for the Yangtze River
(April 4, 2011) A dedicated team works tirelessly to ensure the Yangtze River flows smoothly
Public asked to report earthquake omens
(March 30, 2011) According to China Daily, the Chinese government is proposing new emergency preparedness measures which would encourage citizens to report signs of imminent earthquakes to officials, but forbid people from publicly predicting them.
China’s reaction to the Japanese nuclear crisis
(March 28, 2011) While the world focuses on the nuclear crisis in Japan, China is contemplating a rapid expansion of its nuclear energy capacity. China currently has 13 operating nuclear reactors, 27 under construction, 50 planned, and 100 more proposed. By 2020, the country’s nuclear capacity is expected to increase ten-fold. The Chinese government reacted to the crisis in Japan by announcing a moratorium on nuclear project approvals, pending a review of their nuclear safety plans.
Beijing’s massive water diversion project could trigger earthquakes: experts
(March 28, 2011) A new study warns that plans to raise the Danjiangkou Dam could lead to earthquakes of greater than 4.0 on the Richter Scale. Experts say the dam triggered an earthquake of M 4.7 in 1973.


