Originally Posted By: pbm
China doesn't seem to care about environmental issues, intellectual property rights and a host of other issues.
When China is the sole super power in the not so distant future, I predict many (who now knock the US) will pine for the good ol' days when America held that position.
It depends on what you mean by "China" and "doesn't seem to care".
The local citizen are complaining about pollution all the time and there were riots with hundred to thousands of people bursting into local government offices and take the local officials hostages all the time to stop and halt projects, especially those rare earth, paper mill, etc.
The PM2.5 report from US embassy in Beijing causes a lot of public and international tension among their central gov vs local citizen (and with US over whether it is China's own business or US' right to notify their expat citizen on health related issues, and air quality over their own embassy).
While not coal related, I know of at least 1 city there has completely banned moped licensing due to emission reason, and they are taking the latest Euro emission standard in the next couple of years.
Their problem with coal is they couldn't provide enough electricity without it and they have no choice but to use it. Their local coal production couldn't reach power plant fast enough by rail a few years ago (before the economic downturn), and I would imagine buying foreign coal would be a strategic way to spend the money they make from manufacturing export instead of letting the US gov and EU devalue currency. I've read financial report from a few years ago that buying from AUS and use them in coastal cities is actually cheaper than buying from their inland and move it by rail (with corruption to get priority on the rail line or haul it by trucks on local road in traffic jam).
Yes, they do have huge corruption issues and huge environmental related problem, but that really has nothing to do with buying coal from AUS. If anything it would be cleaner on both mining and burning in power plant than their local mining safety and emission.
China doesn't seem to care about environmental issues, intellectual property rights and a host of other issues.
When China is the sole super power in the not so distant future, I predict many (who now knock the US) will pine for the good ol' days when America held that position.
It depends on what you mean by "China" and "doesn't seem to care".
The local citizen are complaining about pollution all the time and there were riots with hundred to thousands of people bursting into local government offices and take the local officials hostages all the time to stop and halt projects, especially those rare earth, paper mill, etc.
The PM2.5 report from US embassy in Beijing causes a lot of public and international tension among their central gov vs local citizen (and with US over whether it is China's own business or US' right to notify their expat citizen on health related issues, and air quality over their own embassy).
While not coal related, I know of at least 1 city there has completely banned moped licensing due to emission reason, and they are taking the latest Euro emission standard in the next couple of years.
Their problem with coal is they couldn't provide enough electricity without it and they have no choice but to use it. Their local coal production couldn't reach power plant fast enough by rail a few years ago (before the economic downturn), and I would imagine buying foreign coal would be a strategic way to spend the money they make from manufacturing export instead of letting the US gov and EU devalue currency. I've read financial report from a few years ago that buying from AUS and use them in coastal cities is actually cheaper than buying from their inland and move it by rail (with corruption to get priority on the rail line or haul it by trucks on local road in traffic jam).
Yes, they do have huge corruption issues and huge environmental related problem, but that really has nothing to do with buying coal from AUS. If anything it would be cleaner on both mining and burning in power plant than their local mining safety and emission.
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