Enviro: China: Visit to Japan by Chinese premier opens hope of enviro concern in world's largest country

Today's CSM brings word, in an article by Jason Miks "Chinese premier's visit to Japan marks major thaw--Wen Jiabao will address Japan's Diet, discuss trade, and even play baseball" (Apr11,2k7) that maybe China is becoming consciousness of its tragic overdose of pollution. Japan suffers from what the wind carries from continental China to the Japanese islands.

Despite the extended tensions in political relations, economic ties between the two countries have been thriving. China's trade with Japan in 2006 jumped 12.4 percent from a year earlier, to $207.36 billion – more than double the $101.91 billion recorded in 2002, according to Chinese government figures.

A further sign of the improving economic and political climate was China's decision in January to, in principle, to resume imports of Japanese rice. Imports were suspended in 2003, ostensibly over insects being found in the rice, though the decision was widely viewed as having a political element.

However, though economics have helped drive China-Japan relations forward, China's rapidly growing economy presents its own problems.

This Sino-Japanese trade bonanza includes the nasty enviro consequences that puts China on a projectile to surpass all countries in pollution this year. Not only does this pollution problem infect China's own life and population, it has wider implications as the smog moves on the winds to Japan and across the Pacific to North America. Much of San Fransisco's smog originates in China. Japan is not unaffected. But just as Japan is stressing politeness to the Chinese at the moment (this being a big anniversary of Japan's slawter of Chinese in Nanjing decades ago), so China's premier Wen is stressing politeness since anti-Japan nationalism has previously stirred uncontrollable crowd violence against Japan.

Altho China was exempted from the Kyoto Protocols on the environment (Canada agreed to China's exemption and signed too, the USA refused to exempt China and did not sign), China now wants to give Japan the impression that it will join the worldwide anti-pollution movement. But, while Japan has fostered the manufacture and sale of non-polluting alterntively-fuelled cars, China has simply upped its auto production and the machines are all polluters. Meanwhile, China has made huge deals for the import of oil without alternative fuels appearing on its production schedules. So we may be forgiven when we greet with disbelief, reporter Mik's mention of the Chinese diplomcacy with Japan regarding the environment.

Indeed, an expected joint statement during Wen's visit on tackling global warming suggests that China sees improved relations with Japan as an opportunity to try to burnish its credentials as a good global citizen. China is said to be ready to enter post-Kyoto negotiations on a future framework and also to agree to work with Japan on a number of projects including water purification and reforestation.

Glosserman says that one motivation for the recent shift is China's determination to make Wen's visit a success. "Improving relations with Japan makes China look like a responsible stakeholder," he explains.

The sad truth is that China had a unique opportunity to introduce anti-pollution measures much earlier in its rapid-industrialization process. It could have devoted itself to the manufacture of alternatively-fuelled vehicles, providing first-time auto buyers non-pulluters to start with. No such luck, says the fortune cookie.