Early morning in western China: A group of engineers watch a small, sparkling river rush past a hydropower plant. They've come from other countries to learn about China's renewable-energy projects — its wind farms in Inner Mongolia, the solar-powered homes in Yunnan.... And now, they're seeing something new. China is also drawing power from small rivers!  

The advantages are clear. Even small rivers contain energy. And when a river gains enough volume and speed, a hydropower plant can convert its energy into "clean" electricity. Maybe not enough to power a whole village. But certainly enough to meet its emergency needs, when a big regional utility cuts back power to avoid a blackout.

Sustainable growth. In 2004, renewable energy supplied 3 percent of China's power. The government wants that figure to be 10 percent by 2020 — and for good reason! China's environment is endangered. The old custom of cutting timber for fuel has led to serious soil erosion. Dust from this erosion — and gases from old coal-burning plants — pollute the air. And a surge in gasoline-powered cars only aggravates the problem. But China is determined to find "clean-energy" solutions. Besides encouraging the use of hydro, solar, and wind power, it also promotes research into such potential sources as biomass (oil-yielding plants) and hydrogen. Meanwhile, 100 million acres of land are being reforested, and emissions from new vehicles are strictly regulated.

Oil, too... Yet, even as it strives to "go green," China faces a challenge posed by its own expanding economy. In 2004, China's flow of exports and imports raised the volume of global trade by 20 percent! That growth was matched by an increase in new factories, which — in turn — add to the demand for power. Not even the huge Three Gorges Dam, which will soon provide hydroelectric power to southeastern China, will fill that demand. Nor will the planned tripling of China's nuclear power plants by 2020. So, like many other nations in today's world, China must also use oil. And, since its own gas and oil deposits are limited, China has contracts to drill and/or buy oil and gas in about 30 other nations — Iran, Sudan, and Canada, for example.

Point of view. Since becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council in 1971, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has been an active participant in the global community. China has joined the World Trade Organization. It supports the Kyoto Treaty. And world environmental groups (Greenpeace, for example) welcome its commitment to renewable energy. More: The World Bank has applauded China for lifting over 400 million of its people out of poverty. Indeed, millions of Chinese who were born in traditional villages have now adapted to new technologies, started new businesses, visited distant lands. They've also taken part in their first civil court procedures and first local elections....
     Sometimes, Western observers argue that such political opportunities unfold too slowly in China. But China's leaders say that, in a nation with 1.3 billion people, preserving social order during an era of change must be their top priority. (And, they may add, China should evolve in a way that is ... Chinese.)

For the Record... "By having changed itself," wrote Ted C. Fishman in The New York Times in July 2004, "China is changing the world." True? Visitors to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will surely see signs of recent change. (New hotels, new expressways, millions of new trees!) They'll probably also realize why China's surging economy has affected job opportunities and trade patterns in their own countries. And, seeing how far China has come since World War II, they may realize what its progress teaches us.... "A journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step."