BEIJING — The rapid degradation of the environment in China has
become a central topic of discussion this year. Air pollution in
Beijing and other parts of northern China hit record levels in
January. Water pollution was thrust into the spotlight this week
when official news reports said that nearly 6,000 dead pigs had
been found floating in a river that slices through the heart of
Shanghai. Meanwhile, environmental advocates are pressing the
government to release data on soil pollution, which officials
have categorized as a state secret. It is no wonder, then, that
delegates to the National People’s Congress, which is holding
its annual meeting now in Beijing, are debating environmental
issues, even if the congress is largely a rubber-stamp
legislature charged with giving Communist Party policy a veneer
of popular legitimacy. Just as worrisome, if not as hotly
discussed among Chinese, is the impact that China is having on
the environment in other parts of the world. It is not an easy
thing to gauge, but Crai