Sujian Guo, Joel J. Kassiola, and Zhang Jijiao, (eds.), Environmental Protection Policy and Experience in the U.S. and China's Western Regions

摘要

In the course of its development, China has frequently looked beyond the Pacific in order to identify successful practices and avoid the mistakes the United States made during its own development. Both countries targeted their development strategies westward; more than a decade ago in China and more than a century ago in the US. Thus, it is natural for scholars to engage in comparative studies of the strategies of these two countries and investigate questions such as what lessons China can learn from the American experience. This volume, edited by Sujian Guo et al., brings a group of experts from both countries and tries to answer this question from an environmental protection policy perspective, that is: "as China pursues the economic development of its western regions, can the experiences of the US help it avoid the environmental problems Americans experienced?" (p. 47) This question is of great significance for China and the world as a whole, as China's narrow focus on GDP growth over the past three decades has resulted in ever deteriorating environmental conditions.