TV Interview on “Foreign Exchange” with Daljit Dhaliwal
Here’s a 7 minute television interview I did with the US television foreign policy program “Foreign Affairs”, discussing China’s clean energy policies. If you based in the U.S., it may not be too late to catch this on the TV (check schedule).
(p.s. not sure what the first visual on “a new direction for Hong Kong” means!)
Watch 606 - Julian Wong in News | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
I suspect there may be some questions regarding my remarks about what percentage of China’s economic stimulus is being allocated to green projects. I have given the figure of 5 to 6 percent, which is based on a reported statement by Zhang Ping, Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, after the announced reallocations of the whole stimulus package this March (see also pie chart below). Of the 4 trillion yuan economic stimulus package, 210 billion yuan is earmarked for “sustainable environment.” This calculation is a far cry from the “almost 40 percent” figure that many media articles are reporting. The “almost 40 percent” claim originates from a flawed report from HSBC, which includes all rail and grid infrastructure as “green.” The best discussion of this can be found at China Environmental Law Blog.
That said, I am still very bullish about China’s commitment to this sector. You might argue about the details of its execution (see Forbe’s “Weaknesses in Chinese Wind Power“), but as I argued in my previous post (”Peaking Duck: Beijng’s growing appetite for climate action“), we should not doubt its intent and resolve. We should also be expecting some major announcements in the coming months about a revised comprehsive new energy plan and and a greener five year plan (for 2011-2015).
August 29th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Well done, Jules!
Is this your first TV interview? You sounded quite nervous.
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Very nice, Julian!