Comments on: How to Deal with Chinese Green Protectionism: A U.S. Perspective http://greenleapforward.com/2010/07/30/how-to-deal-with-chinese-green-protectionism-a-us-perspective/ Tracking the emerging technological, commercial, political and social revolution that is greening China's red-hot economy. Mon, 21 May 2012 17:19:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Paul Joy http://greenleapforward.com/2010/07/30/how-to-deal-with-chinese-green-protectionism-a-us-perspective/#comment-78396 Paul Joy Sun, 19 Sep 2010 19:18:07 +0000 http://greenleapforward.com/?p=278#comment-78396 The tenth paragraph if this post, which talks about the capacity of the Chinese government to implement various policies, is key in any discussion of climate change mitigation, both domestically and internationally. But a sound discussion of what is and is not possible must first answer some key questions, some of which follow: How can the Chinese government become a modern regulator if its departments simultaneously own many of the businesses subject to their own regulation? How can we expect the Chinese state to regulate, adjudicate, and police the markets fairly if the government regulators cannot discipline businesses operated by the military, the armed police, and other agents of the state? Can we reasonably expect China's one-party rule to effectively discipline the state, reshape the ethos of government, and offer a level playing field for economic development if the party itself and other institutions are busy with the business of business? Simply put, can the Chinese state remake itself into a regulatory state, offering sound laws and regulations and enforcing them in a reasonably impartial manner? China's state-owned enterprises are now, because of government policy, more powerful than in the wake of the financial crisis than they have been for a decade. Their collective political power, and the private benefits they gain from seemingly 'bad policy' in the eyes of Washington, make the Chinese state less competitive and therefore less able to respond to the innovative challenges a new energy economy require. Mitigation to climate change is not going to come about by putting up 200GW worth of wind turbines in Inner Mongolia, or by massive solar arrays in the Xinjiang desert. It only through effective governance, having a National People's Congress that can serve as a check against government excesses, and an independent Supreme People's Court, that the country will be able to innovate and regulate with confidence and aptitude. The tenth paragraph if this post, which talks about the capacity of the Chinese government to implement various policies, is key in any discussion of climate change mitigation, both domestically and internationally. But a sound discussion of what is and is not possible must first answer some key questions, some of which follow:
How can the Chinese government become a modern regulator if its departments simultaneously own many of the businesses subject to their own regulation? How can we expect the Chinese state to regulate, adjudicate, and police the markets fairly if the government regulators cannot discipline businesses operated by the military, the armed police, and other agents of the state? Can we reasonably expect China’s one-party rule to effectively discipline the state, reshape the ethos of government, and offer a level playing field for economic development if the party itself and other institutions are busy with the business of business? Simply put, can the Chinese state remake itself into a regulatory state, offering sound laws and regulations and enforcing them in a reasonably impartial manner?

China’s state-owned enterprises are now, because of government policy, more powerful than in the wake of the financial crisis than they have been for a decade. Their collective political power, and the private benefits they gain from seemingly ‘bad policy’ in the eyes of Washington, make the Chinese state less competitive and therefore less able to respond to the innovative challenges a new energy economy require. Mitigation to climate change is not going to come about by putting up 200GW worth of wind turbines in Inner Mongolia, or by massive solar arrays in the Xinjiang desert. It only through effective governance, having a National People’s Congress that can serve as a check against government excesses, and an independent Supreme People’s Court, that the country will be able to innovate and regulate with confidence and aptitude.

]]> By: Hara Wang http://greenleapforward.com/2010/07/30/how-to-deal-with-chinese-green-protectionism-a-us-perspective/#comment-61691 Hara Wang Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:19:01 +0000 http://greenleapforward.com/?p=278#comment-61691 An article on a similar topic was just published on chinadialogue, from the perspective of U.S. based venture capitalists. Have a look if you are interested. http://www.chinadialogue.net/weblogs/4/weblog_posts/129 An article on a similar topic was just published on chinadialogue, from the perspective of U.S. based venture capitalists. Have a look if you are interested.
http://www.chinadialogue.net/weblogs/4/weblog_posts/129

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