Western media portrayals of China continue to be distorted by ubiquitous images of mask-wearing cyclists riding under hazy skies.
The truth is, that reality is in rapid retreat, though the stereotype is not. Anyone who lives in China－including the foreign journalists who should care enough to take an honest look around－can see the tremendous differences in air quality visible even in the last few years.
Blue skies are now much more the norm in Beijing, rather than an aberration or a result of efforts ahead of a special event like APEC, when the term APEC Blue was coined to describe the clearing up of air pollution before that international gathering.
Such skies are now seen on a regular basis, as heavy air pollution in key cities has fallen by 50 percent in the last five years. Water and energy consumption per unit of GDP has dropped 20 percent over the same period. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster, which contains 28 cities, the concentration of PM2.5－dangerous particulate matter that can enter the lungs－has fallen by nearly 40 percent since a campaign to reduce air pollution was launched five years ago.
China bashing is a popular sport, but credit really needs to be fairly given when due.
Unlike my country, Canada－where a prime minister can make promises about balanced budgets and electoral reform, only to equate selfies with legislative action once in office－leaders in China have proved that they are willing and able to carry out and meet their goals.
In the last number of years, the Chinese government has really put its shoulders into cleaning up the environment, and the results are obvious.
China has become the world's largest producer and installer of solar panels. Cities like Beijing are converting their coal-fired manufacturing and heating plants to natural gas. Electric and hybrid cars are seen everywhere. City subway systems and high-speed trains that are increasingly crisscrossing the country cut down on emissions and help develop new technologies that can be used around the world, exporting green solutions rather than pollution.
In addition, inspection teams have been sent around the country in the past year to ensure that environmental regulations are being upheld. Inspectors checked 210,000 companies, and about 9,000 of them were ordered to lower or suspend their production due to lax controls and monitoring. About 62,000 businesses have been closed or relocated, or have had to upgrade their equipment to reduce pollution.
With US President Donald Trump turning away from the Paris accord on the environment and bucking world trends to throw his weight behind a declining coal industry, China has a good opportunity to prove its leadership on the international environmental stage.
In his Government Work Report delivered at the first session of the 13th National People's Congress, Premier Li Keqiang outlined further progress on the environment that the country would make this year:
・ a cut of at least 3 percent in energy consumption per unit of GDP
・ reducing steel production capacity by 30 million metric tons
・ cutting coal production capacity by 150 million tons
・ lowering sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by three percent
・ investing 1 trillion yuan ($160 billion) in water conservation
・ planting forests on more than 40 million hectares
China has proved over the last five years that it can meet－and surpass－its targets for improving the environment. There is no reason to doubt such determination in the coming years.
With Europe stalled and the U.S. administration looking to the previous century－or even the one before that－the stage is set for China to eventually lead the world in green power.
