53
From its new perch in the world, Beijing now has something to say on almost every global issue
pansion of Chinese products and brands all over the world. The “going global” battle cry is now being replaced by “going green”. The number of institu- tions dealing with the environment has increased impressively in recent years, as has the number of investments in sus- tainable development. The government’s awareness is
shown by its strong support for clean energy and environmentally-friendly projects. In various sectors,
the main-
land is the leader in innovation. At the national level, “eco-concepts” fall from the lips of offi cials. In wind and solar power, the main-
land is No 1. According to the latest re- port by the Pew Charitable Trusts, China has invested more in clean energy than any other member of the G20.
Putting up the money China invested US$34.6 billion in clean energy last year, the United States in- vested US$18.6 billion and third-place Britain invested US$11.2 billion – less than one-third of Beijing’s spending. The growth rate of investment over the past fi ve years has been 78.9 percent. In
renewable energy, the main-
land is the world’s No 2, with a power generating capacity of 52.5 gigawatts. Its ambition is to have 30GW of wind power generating capacity and 30GW of biomass power generating capacity by 2020. Beijing continues to attract capital in clean energy. The wind
investment
power sector receives most but invest- ment in the production of photovoltaic panels should eventually top the list. Going green is not only a desire but
also an urgent need. In the next decade, Beijing has to follow an environmental- ly-friendly development pattern. With one of the biggest consump-
tion markets, the mainland will continue to have a high demand for energy. The
OCTOBER 2010 COUNTING
HEADS B
eijing embarks on the fi rst national census of this century on November 1. It coincides with a vital need for the government to understand the country’s demography.
The government wants to count everyone and aims to publish the data next
year. It has trained 6.5 million staff to collect the information. The fi rst national census was taken in 1953. This year, the sixth census
will count people from Macau and Hong Kong for the fi rst time, as well as expatriates. According to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the biggest diffi culty
will be collecting data on migrant workers. Floating populations that leave the countryside in search of jobs in the urban centres, migrant workers are a largely anonymous mass that could number 210 million this year according to the academy. Understanding of the main characteristics of its population should help
Beijing create policy next year. For the demographers, the census has a special relevance as the one-child policy and its results will be reviewed in the light of the data collected. The rapidly aging population, a phenomenon that is beginning to pose challenges to the economy, will also be studied after the census. The data will be published between May and July. The National Bureau
of Statistics has announced that the census will cost between RMB8 billion (MOP9.55 billion) and RMB10 billion, making it the most expensive yet. It is an investment in the future, contributing to the comprehension of the
social and geographical mobility of the Chinese people and so better informing polices for the years to come.
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