Difference between revisions of "Increased private sector in China"

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(New page: ==Description== Desertification is the transformation of arable or habitable land to desert, as by a change in climate or destructive land use.[1]<br> <br> More than 27% of China is alread...)
 
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==Description==
==Description==
Desertification is the transformation of arable or habitable land to desert, as by a change in climate or destructive land use.[1]<br>
The emergence and growth of the private sector in China has been one of the most profound socioeconomic changes in China since the onset of post-Mao reform.<br>  
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More than 27% of China is already covered by desert, and the problems associated with desertification have been written about since the 4th century B.C.  According to records, dust storms came to Beijing once every 7 or 8 years in the 1950s, then every 2 or 3 years in the 1970s, but have become an annual problem by the early 1990s.[4]<br>
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The amount of desert nationwide in China is increasing by upwards of 3,500 sq km every year! At the same time, the Gobi desert is advancing at 3.2 km per year on Beijing; at this rate, it is estimated to be on the outskirts of the city by 2070![3]<br>
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In the seven years ending the 20th century, the total area of land-turned desert exceeded 1.69 million sq km, or 17.6% of the country's territory.  This is believed to cause economic losses exceeding US$6.5 billion each year.[2]<br>
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From the early 1990s, the number of private enterprises increased by 35 per cent annually and there are now over five million. The private sector is the main source of economic growth in China: as of 2007 it contributed 66 per cent of GDP and 71 per cent of tax revenues. It is also the main source of new jobs: between 2002 and 2006, the private sector created almost 44 million urban jobs, whereas employment in state-owned and collective enterprises shrank by nearly 11 million.[1]


==Enablers==
==Enablers==

Revision as of 09:08, 18 September 2009

Description

The emergence and growth of the private sector in China has been one of the most profound socioeconomic changes in China since the onset of post-Mao reform.

From the early 1990s, the number of private enterprises increased by 35 per cent annually and there are now over five million. The private sector is the main source of economic growth in China: as of 2007 it contributed 66 per cent of GDP and 71 per cent of tax revenues. It is also the main source of new jobs: between 2002 and 2006, the private sector created almost 44 million urban jobs, whereas employment in state-owned and collective enterprises shrank by nearly 11 million.[1]

Enablers

  • Deforestation
    • Brought on by desire for "chopsticks, toothpicks and Ping Pong paddles"
    • Firewood collection
  • Increased water scarcity in China
  • Wind storms
  • Improper land use
    • Over-cultivation and overgrazing ("the tradegy of the common")
  • Climate change
    • Increased temperatures, decreased rainfall
    • Fragmented government response

Inhibitors

  • Improved agriculture
    • Problem fences to stop overgrazing
  • Reforestation
    • The "Green Wall" of China
  • Alternatives to wood as a source of fuel

Paradigms

  • The world's largest economy will unlikely be able to feed itself as arable land is swallowed up by sand
  • Increased sand disasters in Bejing
  • Increased internal migration of rural Chinese
    • Increased number of migrant workers in eastern cities

Timing

4th century B.C. first recorded mention of desertification in China
1950s sandstorms in Beijing every 7 or 8 years
1970s sandstorms in Beijing every 2 or 3 years
1990s sandstorms in Beijing annually

Web Resources

  1. Dictionary.com
  2. "China Faces Challenge of Desertification", People's Daily
  3. "Deforestation & Desertification - China"
  4. "Beijing's Desert Storm", Ron Gluckman
  5. "China's creeping sands" Slideshow, Sean Gallagher
  6. "China News: Desertification", China Digital Times

Revision History

September 2009 Created by Chia Wei Lee
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