Opportunities for all as China pursues eco-friendly growth

A stevedore works at Qingdao port in Shandong province, July 1, 2015. [Photo/IC]

China has worked out a greener economic development blueprint for the years up to 2020. Investors and businesses in China and the European Union should keep this bigger picture in mind when they look for new opportunities that the ongoing annual sessions of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, China's top advisory body, and the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, may throw up.

China has already vowed to build a moderately well-off society by 2020, lifting the rest of the country's poor out of poverty by offering education, training, jobs and social welfare, as well as granting many migrant workers hukou (household registration) in the cities they work. Since China has already lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, this target seems achievable.

The task of making economic development greener seems a greater challenge, because it will not be easy to ensure more days with blue skies, and provide clean water, air and soil to all. But China will make every effort to make this dream a reality by 2020.

The secret of success may be sharing of information and benefits. For instance, before delivering his speech at a seminar in London recently, a senior Chinese diplomat started clicking photographs of the audience and took a selfie as well. He said he would share the photographs and the outcome of the seminar on social media. Such was the impact of his action that the rest of the four speakers, all from the United Kingdom, followed his example.

Sharing information on social media has become a phenomenon in China. Millions of Chinese people "hold meetings", discuss business and exchange ideas on different social media platforms every day. They even "compete" with each other to see who jogs or walks longer to spread health awareness among Internet users.