The following is an excerpt from a column on China’s 11th five-year plan by the Nobel Laureate that appeared in the Taipei Times (link):
Part of the key to China’s long-run success has been its almost unique combination of pragmatism and vision. While much of the rest of the developing world, following the Washington Consensus, has been directed at a quixotic quest for higher GDP, China has once again made clear that it seeks sustainable and more equitable increases in real living standards.
China realizes that it has entered a phase of economic growth that is imposing enormous — and unsustainable — demands on the environment. Unless there is a change in course, living standards will eventually be compromised. That is why the new five-year plan places great emphasis on the environment…
For comparison, see Willy Lam’s widely published and decidedly less rosy response to China’s new plan.
